A West Bridgford restaurant has warned other businesses to stay vigilant after it was targeted by an alleged fraud linked to a private hire booking.
The popular La Storia Italian restaurant in Musters Road said it had accepted a booking for exclusive use of its restaurant on Wednesday 20 May, but later discovered the arrangement appeared to involve a fraudulent card payment.
In an update to customers, the restaurant said the situation involved it making a bank transfer on behalf of the customer to a person described as a “musician”, with the amount said to be covered by a credit card payment.
The restaurant said it agreed to the arrangement because it had been told the booking was linked to a surprise occasion.
However, the business now believes the payment was fraudulent. It said the legitimate card holder is likely to dispute the transaction with their bank and recover the funds, while the restaurant could be left out of pocket because the bank transfer cannot be reversed.
The restaurant said there was “much more to the story”, but wanted to share the incident as a warning to other local businesses.
It said: “Please stay vigilant and don’t make the same mistake we did.”
As a result of the incident, the restaurant said its booking system had only just reopened for Wednesday 20 May and it currently had no bookings for the evening.
The business has appealed for support from customers who may be considering visiting for a meal that night.
It added: “We are always thankful for our amazing customers, but on this occasion, your support would truly mean the world to us.”
The warning highlights a type of scam in which businesses are asked to process or forward money as part of a wider booking, event or supplier arrangement. Local businesses are generally advised to be cautious about making payments to third parties on behalf of customers, particularly where card payments, overpayments or requests for urgent bank transfers are involved.
Anyone who believes they has been targeted by fraud can report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime.
