Police are warning the public that cash machine scams are happening across the county but refusing to reveal specific locations because of concerns for the banking sector.

Cheshire Constabulary has disclosed that cash-points in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Warrington and Crewe have been targeted.

But The Chronicle asked police to make public the exact locations of the scammed cash machines so that members of the public potentially affected could check their bank accounts.

Spokesman Will Harris refused ‘because of concerns over the impact on the banking business’ and because it would alert fraudsters that police had worked out a particular cash machine had been targeted and were ‘on to it’.

Fraudsters are homing in on cash machines outside post offices, convenience stores, banks, building societies and other outlets. The key message from police is to be on your guard before you use a cash machine and be alert to suspicious activity from around cash machine points.

Operation Astoria has been put in place by the Cheshire Police Economic Crime Unit to concentrate on crime related to ATMs (cash machines) within the Cheshire Police area. The main tactics used by fraudsters are card skimming, card entrapment and cash trapping.

Card skimming involves the use of a hidden mobile phone at the ATM to record the PIN number inputted together with a false card slot to read and copy details from the card’s magnetic strip so a new one can be created and used to withdraw cash from the victim’s account.

Card entrapment again uses a hidden mobile phone to record the PIN together with a device to trap the victim’s card once it has been placed into the machine.

The victim usually believes that the card has been retained by the cash machine due to a problem. The fraudster will recover the original card and, using the PIN, is able to access the victim’s account.

Cash trapping involves placing a device over the area where the money is released from the cash machine to capture the cash as it is dispensed making the victim believe the machine is broken.

In 2014, UK counterfeit card fraud increased by 10% from the previous year and is ‘a growing problem’.

DC Tony Condon, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “There have been an increasing number of attacks on ATMs across Cheshire, where the fraudsters are using all three methods to obtain money from innocent victims. ATM users do not know they are victims until they realise their account balance has reduced more than normal.

“Our intelligence suggests that organised crime groups are responsible for the attacks, which has in turn led to more overseas spend on fraudulent use of UK cards and stolen identity.

“We are asking all members of the public to be vigilant when using a cash machine and to be aware of any suspicious activity around cash points, which may be an attempt to deploy a device.

“When using an ATM, it is highly recommended that people conceal their PIN number from view as the fraudsters rely on either seeing your PIN number or catching it on devices which they have deployed.”

To report any suspicious activity, contact Cheshire Police on 101 or visit their fraud page at www.cheshire.police.uk.