POLICE have warned elderly people to be on their guard against fraudsters after victims in North Yorkshire had bank cards and PIN numbers stolen.

Ramona Ilie, 29, admitted theft and fraud by false representation after she watched victims aged 78 and 89 as they used ATMs in Bedale and Northallerton and then stole their bank cards, which were then used across North Yorkshire and Teesside.

Ilie, from Glasgow, was sentenced to eight months in prison after appearing at York Crown Court on Friday January 13, following a lengthy nationwide investigation.

Victims were targeted in August 2016. The cards were initially used in Bedale and Northallerton and later in Richmond, Darlington and Thornaby.

Police traced a vehicle linked to Ilie and an unknown male accomplice, and CCTV footage of the suspects was circulated nationally. Ilie’s name was put forward as a suspect.

In September 2016, she left the country, but was arrested when she returned to Edinburgh Airport in December.

A distinctive tattoo on her right ankle matched CCTV images, and Ilie was charged and remanded in custody.

PC Alastair Gill, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “This investigation was very much a team effort. I hope this sentence is a deterrent to any would be thieves who are intent on targeting the vulnerable and elderly.

“With the resources we have available to us, we will eventually track you down and put you before the courts.

“The 78 and 89-year-old victims have still not fully recovered from the ordeal. They have been kept updated and offered support throughout the investigation.

“I would like all bank card users to continue to be vigilant when using a cash machine or chip and PIN terminals, remember, you don’t always know what the intentions are of people standing behind or near you.”

  • Anyone with information is asked to call 101.