PEOPLE are being warned to be on their guard after a woman had her bank account plundered by crooks in Basildon.

The 64-year-old was using the cash machine outside Marks and Spencer, in Town Square, when she was distracted by two men who approached her.

Bill Stock, of Basildon Police, said: "They deliberately distracted her and made her feel uncomfortable so she took her card out of the machine and left.

"It wasn't until later she discovered £200 was missing from her account.

"They may have taken the money while distracting her or copied her card. People using cash machines should be on the lookout for people acting like this."

The suspects were two Asian men, one aged around 28 and the other 40.