Sutton police are warning bank users to be on alert as fraudsters are outwitting sophisticated security systems to steal credit card secrets.

The latest victim, Pamela Hudson, 71, thought her card had been swallowed by an ATM outside the Abbey National in North Cheam.

But when she returned home she learned that scammers had obtained her PIN details and stolen more than £1,300 in 90 minutes.

At least two similar cases were reported to police in recent months but it is unclear whether skimming machinery had been implanted.

Mrs Hudson said: “When I pressed ‘cancel’ the card would not come out. An Eastern European man said he would keep watch if I wanted to report it inside.

“It was only when I was on the bus home that I thought ‘oh crikey’.”

Police have advised consumers to make withdrawals inside branches rather than on the street and to check for evidence of tampering with terminals.

A spokesman said: “During the scam outside Abbey, at about noon on July 7, the suspect had somehow managed to obtain the customer’s Pin.”

“The victim then found that she had lost a total of £1,300 from her account, some of it taken from an ATM and some from individual shops.”

For more advice call Sutton’s Crime Prevention Team on 020 8649 0569.

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