Watch out! There's a stolen Olivetti printer cartridge about

Olivetti Lexicon is warning resellers to be on their guard after a spate of product thefts that threaten to flood the market with stolen merchandise. Thousands of stolen printer cartridges could be on their way to the UK after disappearing from Olivetti's warehouse in Turin, Italy, in mid November. Less than two weeks later, thieves struck again, this time hijacking a lorry transporting bubble inkjet printheads from Italy to Germany. Olivetti is asking UK dealers to check cartridge code and lot numbers and report any suspicious individuals trying to sell the products. Otherwise, they warn that resellers who find themselves handling stolen goods will have to face police enquiries. But these incidents appear to be part of a longer-running crime racket. Melvin Hurley, Olivetti Lexikon product marketing manager, revealed: "Over the last couple of years trucks have been hijacked, and thousands of pounds worth of products have disappeared in transit from Italy to the UK." He added: "It's impossible to confirm a connection, but the regularity of occurrence would give rise to suspicions that consignments are being watched." Hurley called on anyone approached with suspiciously highly discounted goods to contact Olivetti immediately so the numbers can be traced back to the original factory. Call Claire Sampson on 01908 220111 if you have any information. Items carrying the following Code and Lot numbers should be reported: CODE - 2782070 LOT - B28L104L81, B28L11OL38, B28M1021845, B28M102L845, B281105N839, B281104Q839 CODE - 2784431 LOT - B28M102B845 CODE - 2782077 LOT - B28L0722843 CODE - 2784433 LOT - B28L103A841 CODE - 247944 Neutral LOT - B78G103A841 ®