London restaurateurs warned to be on guard after 'Time Out' con artists strike

London restaurateurs have been warned to watch out for a couple of Time Out magazine impostors, who have defrauded two sites in the last fortnight.

The con artists, claiming to be inspectors for the eating out guide, have so far struck at the Thai Handwell restaurant in Uxbridge and the Fiddlers restaurant in Harrow Weald, both in Middlesex.

Going by the aliases of Robert Blair and Marie Martélle, they turned up both times claiming to be critics for Time Out and even had fake IDs to back up their assertions. Each time they have left without paying.

Guy Dimond, food and drink editor of Time Out magazine, said: “Time Out reviewers invariably review anonymously and we pay our way without being recognised.”

Martélle is described as of East Asian appearance and in her thirties, while Blair is in his fifties and slim.

By Chris Druce

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