Tricksters take hundreds from victims’ bank accounts.

MEMBERS of a prominent Honiton organisation were this week warned to be careful with bank cards - after two scams affected people in the club.

The annual meeting of Honiton Craft Club, held at the town’s Methodist church, heard how one woman was duped by a distraction scam at a cashpoint machine.

It was explained that two women sidled up next to her as she tapped in her PIN number and waited for cash to be dispensed.

Just before her card was returned by the machine, one of the women spoke to her - causing her to turn away. The other woman then snatched the card and the pair disappeared.

The victim assumed the card had been retained by the machine and reported it to her bank. By the time the truth was realised hundreds of pounds had been taken from her account.

Another member of the craft club told The Midweek Herald she only found out her card details had been used by crooks when she attempted to use it herself.

She discovered her card had been blocked and was told to ring her bank. She ended up being put through to the bank’s fraud office.

The pensioner, who asked not to be named, said hundreds of pounds had been taken from her account.

Her card details had been used to purchase top-ups for a mobile phone and even �173 for AA membership.

“I said I was always conscience of the possibility of scams and never used hole-in-the-wall cashpoints,” she said.

“Only on rare occasions did I buy over the telephone using my card and I had only bought from reputable national companies.

“I always pay tradesmen using cash and, whenever I used my card in stores for cashback, I was aware that there are many cameras in stores and always covered the keyboard when tapping in my PIN number.”

The pensioner says she was asked “many searching questions” before the bank offered to refund the suspect amounts withdrawn from her account. She was issued with a new bank card.