People in area are being warned to be aware of scammers stealing people’s money from cash machines in the area.

Merseyside Police has issued a Sefton Crime Alert, asking people to watch out for any suspicious devices when accessing machines in this busy time in the run-up to Christmas.

A police spokesman said:

“Please be aware of an increasing trend of thieves attaching devices to cash machines which prevent the user’s card being returned to them. If your card is not returned by the machine in the normal manner please inform your bank straight away to prevent misuse of your card.

“There is a slight variation in the way thieves are obtaining user cards. A device is being inserted in the slot where the card is put in the machine to stop you retrieving the card after use.

“The machine will allow you to receive the money you require, but then holds the card, when the user tries to extract it at the end of the transaction.

“To try and prevent the card being lost, check the area round the slot by running a finger around the outside of the slot.

“If the surface is not smooth, feels different or any kind of obstruction is noticeable the card should not be inserted.”

The police have issued the following safety tips to people:

“When using a cash machine be aware of your surroundings and people. Machines inside buildings are usually less prone to being tampered with than the ones on the street.

“Use well lit and well populated cash points.”