Online hackers have left staff from a local business concerned about using the company’s devices or social-media accounts.

Malisa Swan, the owner of Bermuda Cupcake Company, said the team noticed devices glitching for several months and realised when they looked into account settings that 198 apps had been downloaded without the business’s knowledge or permission.

She explained: “We thought it was an internet issue until we further investigated that all our accounts were hacked — phone, e-mails, social media.

“The hackers were invading our privacy, recording and taking pictures, and using AI to make content.”

Ms Swan added: “We have never experienced anything like this before; it’s really scary to even want to use our devices now.”

The company was still trying to calculate loss of revenue from the hack as of August 7 and posted about the incident on social media this month.

One post on August 3 read: “Our phones and e-mail continue to be getting hacked; along with serious accusations we are taking very seriously.”

Another post published the following day said: “Our phones have been hacked. Please note we do not have a credit card system.

“We would not call you and ask you for any personal details. If you feel the call is suspicious contact the police. We ourselves are investigating where the disruption is coming from.”

The post also urged the public to contact police if they saw any apps on their own phones that they did not download themselves.

Ms Swan said the company is looking into downloading software to prevent further hacks and noted that the incident was reported to police, with officers said by her to be noting that many people were reporting hacks.

She urged members of the public to check their devices daily for any unknown apps that may have been installed, and to be cautious accepting links and visiting unfamiliar sites.