Three men were arrested in Hemel Hempstead over an attempted theft from a town centre cash machine.
The trio, from London, were taken into custody for questioning yesterday (Tuesday) after a Barclays cash point in Marlowes was tampered with.
Police cordoned off the machine, next door to McDonald's.
A Barclays spokesman said yesterday (Tues
day): "We were advised earlier this morning by the police that there had been an attempt to tamper with the cash machine. As a precaution the machine was taken out of action."
She added: "We would like to remind customers that we have fitted anti-skimming devices onto all our cash machines which prevent the fraudster from copying the card.
"The cash machine will be operating as normal as soon as we have been able to rectify the damage caused."
In March, police issued a warning after a Hemel Hempstead couple were the victim of a cash machine scam.
Emily Edwards was using a cash point at ASDA in Hillfield Road when the machine swallowed her card.
A man then approached the machine and whipped off a fake fascia attached to it, which was holding Emily's bank card. Her husband Philip chased after the man but lost sight of him in the Riverside shopping centre.
Following that incident, Herts Police crime prevention officer David Mahon issued the following advice:
l Check to see if there is anything unusual about a cash machine before inserting your card and report anything suspicious to the police
l Be aware fraudsters use 'out of order' signs to steer people from safe cash points to false ones
l If you spot a device do not touch it – the equipment is expensive and fraudsters may resort to violence to protect it
l Always ensure you have your own space at a cash point and cancel a transaction if you are distracted
l If your card is swallowed report it to the bank and do not re-enter your pin.
The full article contains 332 words and appears in Hemel Gazette newspaper.
