CUSTOMERS taking money out at cash machines are being warned to be aware of “cash trapping” devices, after one was found on an ATM in a North Yorkshire.

Police issued the warning after one was found on a cash machine outside the Cooperative store on Leeds Road in Harrogate on Wednesday (October 29).

A cash trap is a device fitted to the machine's dispensing slot. It is a curved piece of plastic which prevents cash from being dispensed, or being pulled back into the machine.

The customer’s bank card will be returned, but the cash remains attached to the trapping device.

Officers are urging customers to be vigilant and have offered the following advice:

• Check the cash machine. Many ATM fraudsters use tactics such as placing false fronts over the card slot to copy, or skim, your details. They may also have positioned a small camera inside the hole in the wall or above the keypad to capture you entering your PIN. If anything looks "stuck on", it probably is.

• If you have suspicions a machine has been tampered with, report it immediately to the machine's owner.

• Place your hand over the keypad to act as a shield while inputting your PIN.

• Avoid inputting your PIN if there are people too close to you and never reveal the number to anyone.

• Never write down your PIN as a note in your wallet or handbag.