The public have been warned to stay vigilant after when using cash machines after a machine was found to have been tampered with in Shiremoor.

Reports suggest that a card skimming device was found when police were called to the cash point next to the Spar shop in Park Lane on the morning of May 23.
DC Simon Reid of Whitley Bay police said: “We want to alert people to be on their guard when using cashpoint machines. So far we have not had reports of anyone losing any cash as a result of this scam, but if members of the public do have any concerns that the machine they are about to use could have been tampered with they should report it to the bank or store straightaway.”

Earlier this month, credit card fraudsters reportedly stole thousands of pounds from customers in one of Loughton’s busiest petrol station.

Banking giant HSBC said investigations were underway to establish how the scam could have happened but speculated that the fraudsters could have used a skimming device mounted on a cashpoint or a credit reading machine.

Credit card skimming is a scamming method that works by obtaining the details from the card chip electronically allowing the criminals to obtain cash from the accounts of unsuspecting people.