A Sunday newspaper investigation claims to have uncovered potentially one of the biggest cyber crimes ever committed.

Glasgow weekly the Sunday Herald says that personal details of approximately eight million people had been stolen from a computer system run by hotel chain Best Western.

The paper calculates the audacious crime could possibly net the perpetrator more than £2.8bn in illegal funds.

The Sunday Herald says that on Thursday night an Indian computer hacker breached Best Western’s IT defences and sold on details of how to access it.

The report claims “the attack scooped up the personal details of every single customer that has booked into one of Best Western’s 1,312 continental hotels since 2007″.

Stolen data is said to include addresses, phone numbers, credit card details and place of employment.

The security breach was closed on Friday after the Herald alerted the hotel chain.

The story in this weekend’s Sunday Herald has caused headlines around the world but the hotel company has hit back, calling it “grossly unsubstantiated”.

In an official statement on its website, Best Western said: “The story printed in the Glasgow Sunday Herald claiming a security breach of Best Western guest information is grossly unsubstantiated.

“Claims reported about our Central Reservations customer records are not accurate.

“The Sunday Herald reporter brought to our attention the possible compromise of a select portion of data at a single hotel; we investigated immediately and provided commentary.

“Best Western would have welcomed the opportunity to fact-check the story, which would have resulted in more accurate and credible reporting on the part of the newspaper.

“We have found no evidence to support the sensational claims ultimately made by the reporter and newspaper.”

No-one was available from the Sunday Herald for comment.