Customers will not be able to use their Advantage Card points in-store or online for a “short period of time” while Boots deal with the issue.

The retailer’s IT security team noticed “unusual activity” on a number of Boots Advantage Card customer accounts, where it is thought fraudsters were attempting to access and spend loyalty points.

The issue is said to have affected less than 1% of Boots’ 14.4 million Advantage Card holders and the retailer is currently writing to all customers whose accounts may have been compromised.