Manchester Airports Group (MAG) confirms that customer data belonging to around 8.7 million travellers was accessed in a cyberattack on Thursday 27 August. The data relates to car park, lounge and Fast Track bookings and in-airport Wi-Fi sign-ups at Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.

With the bank holiday falling on Monday 31 August, the timing puts millions at risk of scam messages over one of the summer's busiest travel weekends. Now, travel insurance specialists at AllClear are urging affected travellers to be wary of unexpected messages about their trips.

Letitia Smith, Head of Communicationsa at AllClear, says:

"If you think you might have been affected by the data breach, then one risk for travellers is potential follow-up scam emails and texts.

“That's because a fraudster who knows your email address, your mobile number and that you've travelled recently can include details that fit your circumstances. That's what makes these attempts more believable and easier to fall for than usual.

“We are reminding travellers is to be extra vigilant when it comes to suspicious messages over the coming weeks. No airport, airline, insurer, or bank will contact you and ask for card details, banking information, or a password and Manchester Airports Group has said the same thing. If a message or a phone call ever asks you for any of those, stop and go to the company yourself using a number or website you've looked up independently.

“None of this should stop anyone travelling since flights and bookings are unaffected. If you are travelling soon, it is worth taking a few minutes before you go to check your travel insurance covers everything you need it to."

What affected travellers should do:

Check whether you've been contacted. MAG says it has emailed affected customers directly and has published a statement and FAQs on the Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airport websites.

Treat any message about parking, lounges or bookings as suspect for the next few weeks. A scam message may reference details that look private, including your vehicle registration or travel dates.

Don't click links or open attachments in unexpected emails or texts. Type the airport's address into your browser instead.

Never give card details, bank details or passwords in response to a call, text or email you weren't expecting.

Report it. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspicious texts to 7726, which is free. If you've lost money, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Your booking is fine. MAG says all upcoming bookings remain valid. Its online Manage My Booking service is temporarily suspended as a precaution, so anyone needing to change a booking due within 72 hours should call MAG customer services on 0208 163 8001, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.