POLICE are warning people not to fall prey to thieves using a clever scam to steal money from cash machines.
The crooks have developed a device which fools cashpoints into holding someone's credit card after they enter their PIN number.
They then wait until the person leaves to report the fault before retrieving the card, together with a hefty cash sum.
Officers say the scam, known as the 'retrieval loop' has been used in Crewe and Nantwich over the past few weeks.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Johnson, of Crewe Police, said: 'This is a very clever and extremely well-made device that is virtually impossible to detect.
'We know it has been used at Asda and Safeway in Crewe, at NatWest Bank in Nantwich Road, and at the Halifax in Nantwich.'
He said the front of the device looks like an ordinary card slot. This slot is placed over the machine while the rest of the device is fed into the cash machine to interfere with the internal mechanics.
He said: 'The customer comes along and enters their card into the machine, but the rollers assume there is a fault and think the card has become trapped. The machine displays a message telling the customer to contact the bank manager, and when they leave the thieves come back.
'They then remove the loop and the machine thinks the fault has been rectified. It returns the card, and because the PIN has been entered, lets them withdraw as much cash as they like.'
Police officers insist they are close to catching the offenders and hope by making the scam public they will stop its use in South Cheshire.
A NatWest Bank spokeswoman said: 'This is an industry-wide problem and we are working closely with the police to tackle it.
'The cash machines at our branches are checked more than once during the day as a matter of course.'
