An elderly woman was scammed out of £800 at a cash machine by “despicable” fraudsters who are thought to have targeted others in the county.
Police are investigating following the incident at the ATM outside Barclays in High Street, Ashford, at about 11am on Saturday.
The “vulnerable” 85-year-old had been shopping in the town before attempting to withdraw cash.
But when she put her card in the machine, she noticed there was a problem.
Her daughter, Lizbeth Wood, who is sharing the story to raise awareness, told KentOnline: “She might be 85 but my mum is very vigilant.
“When she put her card in, she said something seemed strange.
“She entered her PIN and got an error message and the card didn’t come back out.
“There were two men, one on either side of her, and one asked what happened and said he knew how to help.
“He said, ‘Put another card in, and it will then reject the cards and spit them back out’.
“So mum did just that but the same thing happened.”
When the pensioner went inside to ask a member of staff for help, the opportunistic thieves somehow managed to withdraw £800 from her account.
It has not been confirmed how the fraudsters got the cash – but police have since issued a warning about “false fronts” being put on cash machines. These are credit card skimmers that can be attached to ATMs, fitting over the slot where customers insert cards, with the ability to read and retain their account information.
Ms Wood says workers inside Barclays were dismissive and did not take her mother seriously, leaving her feeling vulnerable.
The 61-year-old said: “Staff said they couldn’t help and she would have to contact her bank, even though it happened at their machine.
“Because of her age, she likes cash and she then became worried because she didn’t have her cards or money and didn’t know how she was going to pay for a taxi to get home.”
Ms Wood’s mother then went to her bank, Lloyds, where a member of staff helped her and called the police.
Thankfully the fraud department has been able to recover the stolen money, but the ordeal has left the elderly woman scared to visit Ashford town centre again.
“Mum now won’t get money out from a cashpoint in the wall – she will get cashback from the supermarket instead,” explained Ms Wood, from Repton Park.
“She said the men who targeted her looked like everyday people she could trust so they caught her off-guard.
“Preying on a vulnerable lady who has worked hard all her life is just despicable.
“She says she will never go into Ashford high street again because she feels vulnerable.”
An investigation is underway and detectives are warning people to be vigilant after receiving a number of similar reports.
One occurred on the same day in the same area of Ashford, while there was another in Dymchurch High Street on Sunday and a further incident in Dymchurch Road, New Romney, yesterday.
DI James Wyles said: “We are investigating these incidents and working to bring those involved to justice.
“In the meantime, I advise those in the Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh areas to beware of anyone acting suspiciously around them when they are taking cash from a machine.
“Don’t use a cash machine if you feel unsafe.
“Check the machine for any false fronts of devices which may be attached to it before you use it and don’t put bank cards into machines which look suspicious.
“Report anything unusual to the police as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to call Kent Police on 01843 222289 quoting reference 46/64023/24.
Barclays has been approached for comment.
