Here's how Hampshire hotels and restaurants are being targeted by latest vicious scam and how to avoid it

Crime reports by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reveal hotels, restaurants and other businesses are the latest hotspots for scammers.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said nefarious individuals are impersonating IT providers. A spokeswoman said: ‘Typically, fraudsters will call restaurants and hotels purporting to be a representative of the company that provides their reservation or booking system.

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‘The criminals will try to convince the employee to reveal their login details, often under the guise that it's required in order to complete an important software installation.’ She added once the attacker gets into the computer system, they will often steal databases of customer names and contact details.

This will then be used for phishing scams. The spokeswoman said victims are receiving calls from people impersonating the restaurant and requesting payment to confirm a reservation.

Ways to keep your business secure include two-step verification and telling customers what information you won’t ask for.

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Police have recommended services for hospitality sector businesses to use. Owners are encouraged to reach out to the Protect Network, which specialises in protecting the public from being targeted in a cyber-attack and empowering individuals and organisations to protect themselves – staff in each local police force.

More information and support can also be found on the South East Cyber Resilience Centre website.

If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber attack (in progress), please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.