A BRADFORD ON AVON landlady and a Trowbridge landlord are warning businesses to be on their guard after receiving a letter in a data protection scam demanding she pay £95.

Julie Lynch, landlady of The George, Woolley Street, received a letter reputing to be from the Data Protection Agency Services enforcement section.

The letter said she was not on its records as having registered under the Data Protection Act and if she did not comply it was a criminal offence. The letter carried no phone number and was unsigned.

Mrs Lynch said: "I was suspicious when I looked at it because it did not look official. It came in an envelope with a second class stamp and usually these sorts of circulars are franked.

"It seems unfair to target small businesses who have enough on their plate to deal with that I am sure some people just send off the money without thinking.

Peewee Hunt, landlord of The White Swan, Trow- bridge, has received a similar circular and endorses Mrs Lynch's concerns.

Some companies have to register under the Data Protection Act if they store certain information about employees or customers.

The Office of the Information Commissioner, the new name for the Data Protection Agency, warns on its website of a number of companies trading on people's concerns about data protection.

Information commissioner Richard Thomas said:

"I advise data controllers to ignore any approach made by these businesses who appear to be charging up to £95 plus VAT for notification."

Organisations who wish to complain about correspondence received from these businesses should contact their local Trading Standards office.