Cash Point Scam

A number of incidents of cards being stolen at cash points and used to fraudulently withdraw cash have been reported nationally.

Thieves have been using a technique called ‘Lebanese Loops’ to trap cards inside cash machines and withdraw money from the bank accounts of unsuspecting victims.
Victims find they insert their card into a cash machine, only for it to become trapped. The perpetrators then obtain the pin number by offering to ‘help’ and suggesting their victim enter the pin number again while they watch. Once the victim leaves the cash point thinking their card has been retained, the perpetrator removes the loop and the trapped card and withdraws money from the victims account.

Please be vigilant when using cash machines and do not divulge your pin number to anyone. If you see anything unusual or anyone acting suspiciously report this to Police. If your card is retained, call for help and if possible do not leave the machine.

If possible try to use cash machines located within banks as these are less likely to have been tampered with and are usually checked by staff on a daily basis.
If you have lost any money to fraud, please report this to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via their website at www.actionfraud.org.uk