Whisky fraud has long mirrored the ebbs and flows of the whisky market. The regularity of consumer fraud reports in the press, particularly where enthusiasts have lost money to whisky and spirits fraud, is alarming. However fraudsters don’t just target consumers, they frequently target businesses too. Here is a quick low down of what to look out for and how we can help you protect yourself and prevent whisky fraud within the spirits community.
Fake spirits remain a rarity on the UK and world market, but it is a topic of concern for collectors. Whisky fakes can be loosely broken down into three main areas.
Forged spirits are bottles that were produced or adapted with the intent to defraud. It's a crime, but it's a most concerning when forgery leads to someone being deceived out of money, or confidence.
Refilling bottles is the opportunists' preferred method of deception. This is where otherwise genuine bottles have been adapted and refilled with the intent to defraud collectors and consumers. It's also a crime.
Spirits counterfeiting tends to refer to organised crime, making or creating unauthorised imitations of genuine bottles. Again, the intent is to defraud innocent consumers. Counterfeits are more problematic in under regulated markets and can range from crude operations to astonishingly sophisticated international networks.
In short, whisky fraud is when someone tricks or deceives you to gain a dishonest advantage.
Much has been said and written about whisky cask fraud but ultimately the onus remains on the individual to conduct their own research and make critical judgements, regardless of their own expertise. And that is not easy.
Of course caveat emptor has its limitations and a seller also has a duty of disclosure. The seller must give the buyer full and fair information - regardless of their own (and the buyer's) expertise - and sufficient time and opportunity to consider the terms of sale.
Let us know if you've been a victim of whisky, spirits or wine theft.
Wherever you store your bottles, ensure that the location is secured. If there is not only CCTV but make sure to check that it is being monitored too.
Be prepared: keep details of all bottles in your collection, this includes photos, receipts and bottle numbers. Report any stolen bottles to the police as soon as the theft is discovered.
The police may not have the resources to track down your bottles so keep searching online auction and retailers for your bottles.
Use Wisgy's free and confidential service to instantly alert auctioneers, traders and retailers about your stolen bottles before they hit the market.
Let us know about stolen bottles and help the spirits community fight crime.
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