Hoaxer makes 31 fake table bookings at restaurant

Image caption, A hoaxer targeted Becws Melys in Caernarfon with fake bookings

A restaurant's new menu launch was wrecked after more than 30 fake bookings were made online.

The owner of Becws Melys in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, said 31 of 50 bookings were false, and lost the business as much as 拢1,000.

Peris Tecwyn called the hoaxer "sad" and warned other restaurants that the same could happen to them.

Because so many fake bookings were made no more were taken, and more than 40 others were turned away.

As the night wore on it became clear something was wrong.

The business's Facebook page said: "Many of the orders placed via our online system were fake.

"Someone had booked multiple tables of four, five, six and seven people in different names, under different fake email addresses and at different times throughout the night, a total of 31 of our 50 bookings were fake."

The restaurant said it was unaware of any enemies it may have.

Mr Tecwyn said: "I have heard that the same kind of thing has happened to other businesses in Caernarfon, Bontnewydd, Llanberis and Abersoch.

"It is possible for us to adapt our system so that people have to give card details when booking a table, but we don't really want to do that at the moment.

"But we will have to call people who have booked a table the night before to check on the customer.

"On the night this happened we called several of the numbers that had been left by people, and found that they were fake numbers."