The police are urging househods to be careful when using cash machines due to a rise in a scam that steals bank cards.
Hertfordshire Constabulary is warning residents to be vigilant after several reports of thefts where bank cards were retained by the machines.
Several residents have reported that their bank cards were retained by ATM machines and later discovered cash had been withdrawn from their accounts after the loss of their card.
Detective Sergeant Mark Fava, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit, said: “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 best way to avoid this happening to you is to cancel or suspend your bank card if it is retained by an ATM. If you have a banking app on your phone you may be able to freeze your card temporarily until you can establish what has happened. Alternatively, you may need to call your bank to cancel or suspend the card until it has been recovered.”
As well as all the usual precautions you take when withdrawing cash, like shielding the keypad, when typing in your PIN, you should always examine the machine before use.
If anything looks out of place or it has any parts which appear to have been added, do not use it and report your suspicions to the bank.
If the machine fails to return your card or any cash you have withdrawn, you should contact the police on our non-emergency number 101 and your bank to inform them.
The police force is urging Brits to take the following precautions when using cash machines:
- Always look closely at the card insertion point of a cash machine before using it. If it looks like it may have been tampered with, do not use it.
- If you realise the machine has been tampered with after you have inserted your card, call your bank while still standing at the cash machine if it is safe to do so.
- Always shield your hand when entering your PIN into a cash point keypad.
- If the machine retains your card or fails to dispense cash you have withdrawn, without a suitable explanation message on the screen, contact your bank immediately and then police on our non-emergency number 101.
Yesterday The Mirror reported a worrying increase in a fraud that sees criminals pretending to be the police turn up at their victims' homes to steal up to £640,000 .
Victims – who are often vulnerable or older people – are falling prey as conmen steal on average £5,000, with one fraudster pocketing £640,000, according to the charity Crimestoppers.
The scam is known as courier fraud, where criminals impersonate your bank or the police.
They often follow up by sending a courier to the victim’s home address to pick up their bank card, after creating a fake race against time to prevent any further scam.
Sadly, in many cases the victims oblige and are unable to claw back what they lose.
