IMPORTANT - WARNING for all Artisans

Just a warning for you all - beware enquiries coming from China professing that they want real 'English Jam'. The email will say that they want to set up a relationship with a UK producer and receive large quantities of jam every month.

They will ask for samples to be sent and once these have arrived a purchase order will be raised for the first order. Shipping and export forms will be discussed, a draft contract will be issued for examination, packing requirements and a deposit will be discussed.

Then, they will say, as a matter of courtesy, they like to meet the people that they are going to do business with, to forge a bond, to sign the contract in person etc etc. An invitation to visit their offices - the sooner the better.

The scam is, once you are in their offices, with the contract on the table, you will be asked for a large 'notarisation fee' to process the contract. This will be several thousand dollars payable by money transfer and you will be asked to wait until tomorrow to sign the papers, once they have been registered with the Chinese authorities. They may suggest a dinner that evening with their Directors. You will leave, looking forward to seeing some Chinese nightlife.

You will never see them again.

The offices will be rented, the people are bogus and there is no large order. They will collect you from the airport so you will not know which address you are being taken to. The address they put on the 'contract' and 'purchase order' will not exist if you Google it.

The money will be non-returnable and there is no order.

When I received such an enquiry I let it run as far as possible to find out what was behind it. I contacted people in UKTI and they contacted CBBC in Chengdu and got the background checked out in China. Luckily no flights were booked or money lost - except for some samples. There is no point giving you the company or individual's names as they will be changed each time.

Just beware - if it sounds too good to be true etc etc. Please let me know if you do have such an enquiry and I will pass the information on to the authorities.