Outraged Scottish shoppers have found themselves in a bizarre transatlantic legal wrangle after being accused of violating US embargoes just for buying coffee.
Hundreds of customers have been reported to the US authorities after buying small amounts of Cuban coffee from a boutique Perth retailer.
Online payments giant PayPal blew the whistle on customers who used its service to buy the country’s products from the Bean Shop, in the city’s George Street.
Bosses have since sent out a flurry of emails warning US-based PayPal will suspend users’ accounts if they do not sign an affidavit promising not to break US laws in the future.
The retailer also had its account frozen for a time rendering it unable to access money spent by customers while it has also been warned it must comply with regulations or face having the payment method withdrawn from its website.
The fallout stunned the store, which was angered by attempts to “criminalise” customers who had bought products in good faith.
Customers have now inundated the shop with messages of support, while many have been buying Cuban coffee with cash and credit cards as a “protest”.
Co-director John Bruce said the wrangle had been “very worrying” for the business and its customers.
“We have been selling Cuban coffee for the past 12 years and it has always been hugely popular,” he said.
“This problem only arose in July, when we introduced the Paypal service to our website, leading to both ourselves and our customers receiving threatening and frankly, pretty nasty emails from PayPal.
“As a small business or an individual, it can be very worrying to find yourself in conflict with big business.”
His wife Lorna added: “I am sure that PayPal is just abiding by someone else’s rules and we were happy to comply with their wishes.
“I did get angered, however, when it started criminalising customers who had brought from us in good faith.
“We had no idea that we were breaking any rules.
“No one likes a threatening email and I do feel that PayPal has acted in a very heavy-handed fashion.”
In its email to customers, PayPal bosses said: “OFAC rules currently prohibit the purchase or sale of various goods and services originating from Cuba.”