Police are warning cash machine users to be vigilant after uncovering a new type of theft.
A spate of victims reported that their cards had been retained by ATMs in the Hertfordshire area.
They later discovered crooks had withdrawn cash from their account using a different machine — sometimes within minutes.
Card sharks: Victims of a new cash machine scam report their cards being retained by ATMs before discovering crooks had withdrawn cash from their account using a different machine
One victim said an ATM in Hitchin swallowed her card before a message appeared on the screen saying it was unavailable.
She was still standing at the ATM while on the phone to her bank when she saw two withdrawals worth a total of £350 had been made at another machine nearby.
There was a further attempt at another location but the card had been blocked.
Police in Hertfordshire have recorded three other similar cases since January in St Albans, Hertford and Hoddesdon. One victim’s card was used eight times before it was stopped.
Detective Sergeant Mark Fava, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, says: ‘It appears that these thefts are being achieved by a discreet device being placed over the card slot of the machine, which scans the card details, transmits the data to the criminal and then blocks the card from being returned.’ The crooks then use the victim’s details to print a duplicate card.
If your card is retained by an ATM, call your bank and ask for it to be frozen immediately or cancelled.
You may also be able to do this via your bank’s smartphone app.
It may be safer to use machines located inside bank branches as there is more security.
And before you slot in your card, make sure you check to see if anything has been added or stuck over the number pad.
Graham Mott, director of strategy at cash machine network Link, says: ‘We can’t discuss fraud techniques but banks have systems in place to monitor suspicious transactions.’
Share or comment on this article:
New cash machine scam where crooks can drain your account in minutes
Comments 1
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Add your comment
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.