POLICE are urging anyone using cashpoint machines to be alert after card skimming devices were used on several ATMs in Waveney recently.A man had gone to the Barclays cashpoint in the Thoroughfare at Halesworth on Wednesday 12 August and struggled to insert his card into the machine.

POLICE are urging anyone using cashpoint machines to be alert after card skimming devices were used on several ATMs in Waveney recently.

A man had gone to the Barclays cashpoint in the Thoroughfare at Halesworth on Wednesday 12 August and struggled to insert his card into the machine. When he tried to get his card out again the machine shut down. He returned to the bank in the morning to report that his card had been swallowed but no trace was found. It appears there had been device on the machine and the card owner subsequently noticed fraudulent use of his card.

It appears a similar incident occurred on Sunday 23 August at the same cashpoint. A check was made after it was discovered the cash machine wasn't working and tape was found near the card slot. It appears the device may have been placed on the machine around 8.35pm on Sunday night.

And another incident occurred at the ATM at the Rainbow store in Gosford Road in Beccles, probably in the early hours of yesterday, Wednesday 26 August. An electronic fault was detected and an engineer discovered a camera and card reader had been installed on the machine.

Police are urging anyone using a cashpoint machine to alert officers immediately using 999 if they notice anything suspicious. Please check to see if there is anything attached to the machine, cover the key pad when entering your PIN and call police if you see anyone hanging around or tampering with the machine.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents should call Beccles Police on 01986 835300.