FRAUDSTERS have been cloning cards from a cash machine in Rayleigh High Street.

The crooks are believed to have fitted a “skimmer” to the hole-in-the-wall belonging to Santander.

They are then using people’s card details to withdraw thousands of pounds of cash.

Jenni Bird, 34, from Rayleigh, had about £1,000 stolen from her account in three days.

She said: ”Luckily I look at my online statements quite a lot and I’ve caught it quite early, but if I’d left it I think they would have continued until I was cleared out. It could have been a lot worse.

“You just don’t think these sorts of things happen in Rayleigh.”

She believes the thieves must have tampered with the machine late on Sunday, March 11, because she used her card at about 9am the following day. A skimmer device reads a card and records the PIN number using a camera.

About 25 transactions were carried out, with each amounting to her withdrawal limit for the day.

She noticed the following Thursday morning and cancelled the card – but by then she had transactions from as far away as India.

She said: “There are CCTV cameras on the High Street, surely someone would see them tampering with the machines and putting a fake front on.”

She said Santander had launched an investigation and told her the money will be re–credited to her account.

A Santander spokesman said: “A small number of people who used the ATM believe they may have fallen victim to ‘skimming’. “Any device placed on our ATM has since been removed.

“Anyone who has noticed unusual activity on their account should contact their bank for assistance.”