Two people have been approached at cash points in Luton and had their cards taken from them.
The first incident happened at 2.30pm on Tuesday outside Lloyds Bank in Riddy Lane.
A woman, 43, was using the cash point when a man told her the machine was ‘playing up’.
When she was part way through her transaction another man stretched over and pressed the cancel button.
He told her it wasn’t working and had withheld her cash card and when the woman went in to the bank to request her card back she was told the machine was working correctly and the card had been removed.
The second incident happened shortly after at the cash point outside the BP garage on Barton Road.
A 77-year-old man was withdrawing cash from the machine when a man stretched over, and with a piece of paper covering his hands, began to press several buttons.
The victim was told by a second man to put another card in to the machine as the original card was stuck. The victim returned home and realised during the confusion the men had managed to withdraw £250 from his account and had taken one of his bank cards.
The officer in charge of these investigations, PC Becky Taylor, would like to warn residents in the town to be extra vigilant when using cash machines in the town, not to allow anyone to stand too close to them when using cash machines and to report any suspicious people to the police immediately.
Anyone with information relating to these investigations can contact PC Taylor, in confidence, at Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively, contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.