Cashpoints have today been targeted by an international gang of thieves intent on raiding people’s bank accounts.

It is not the first time families in the Felixstowe area have been hit by the hi-tech crime.

Three years ago thieves got away with thousands of pounds from bank accounts after a similar scam.

In the latest incidents, sharp-eyed bank staff alerted customers cash had been taken out of accounts at bank machines in America after their cards were cloned at ATMs in Felixstowe at the weekend and details sent across the Atlantic via the internet.

Today people were warned to be on their guard and check cashpoints carefully for skimming devices attached to card slots.

Designer and photographer Ben Matthews was contacted by Barclays fraud investigators after unusual transactions were made on his card.

He said: “I received a phone message on Sunday morning asking to call Barclays which isn’t unusual as they, and other providers, sometimes call to clarify any unusual card activity.

“They had blocked an attempted withdrawal of more than �200 from an American ATM, which I was able to confirm was not me.”

Another person from the town had a similar experience. Just two hours after withdrawing money in Felixstowe, someone tried to use a card with their bank details to withdraw $200 from an ATM in America.

New laws passed three years ago mean police only investigate cashpoint crime if the bank requests them to do so. If banks find useful evidence such as CCTV footage or a skimming device left on a machine, they would then call in the police.

Financial Fraud Action UK said anyone spotting anything unusual at a cash machine should not use it and report it to the bank straight away.

Has your card been cloned in the town? Write to Your Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.