My feeling is that it was N97s made in the first couple of months which have the close-fitting, poorly designed glass cover. I'd love some feedback though - was your N97 equipped with a redesigned from purchase? And if so, how long ago was it bought?
Nokia officially acknowledge the N97 lens cover scratch issue
Published by Steve Litchfield at
Thanks to Micky Aldridge for putting together a great summary of the links you'll need in following up on a badly scratched Nokia N97 camera glass cover. Notable is that he includes an official statement from Nokia on the subject - at least, you'll have something you can now print out and hand over when turning up at the local Service Centre?