City shops the butt of cigarette swap scam

It is understood retailers contacted the council after customers brought back packets of cigarettes which had turned out to be full of magazine cuttings wrapped in napkins.

Tobacco bosses said retailers may have been duped by an elaborate con trick known as "switching", which sees genuine boxes swapped with fakes.

Mohammed Aslam, who runs Cowgate Newsagents, said he first became aware of the problem when a customer complained about a box of Sterling Superkings.

He said: "When the customer opened up the packet of cigarettes there were paper cuttings inside.

"We opened up another packet in the shop and the same thing happened again.

"I contacted the wholesaler and they said a rep would come and see me, but no-one came. Only one of the customers complained, but it could have happened to others."

Jeremy Blackburn, a spokesman for Japan Tobacco International, the company which makes the cigarettes, said retailers were likely to be falling victim to a scam.

He said: "Our experience of the practice of 'switching' is that a customer wearing a coat with bulky pockets asks for cigarettes, puts the genuine cigarettes in their pocket then fumbles for non existent cash and tells the retailer they have no money.

"They switch the real pack for a fake pack already in their pocket and hand the fake pack to the retailer. The retailer places the stock back on the shelf. It is then bought by an innocent consumer who buys the fake packs, which usually contain paper or tea bags. He then complains to the retailer and the retailer ends up out of pocket."

He added: "JTI's production and packing processes are highly automated and subject to strict quality control and monitoring.

"We caution all retailers to be aware of anyone who is acting suspiciously when trying to buy any tobacco products or if someone is trying to distract retailers whilst buying tobacco products."

At least one of the complaints to Trading Standards was about cigarettes bought from the Bellevue cash and carry in McDonald Place.

Paul Woodthorpe, the company's Scottish regional controller, said the firm was "100 per cent happy" that its products had not been tampered with before reaching retailers.

He added: "The tobacco company have now taken up the issue and it's more their issue than it is ours."

A spokeswoman for the city council said: "We are aware of a small number of complaints related to this issue and are currently investigating."