THIEVES have helped themselves to a woman's £4,000 savings by 'skimming' information from her bank card when she used a cash machine.

Coleen Woods was left with just £21 in her account after fraudsters plundered it, withdrawing up to £400 a time over a space of six weeks.

Police have warned there have been a spate of similar crimes in Worcestershire, and have asked cash machine users to be on their guard.

Miss Woods, aged 45, of Deer Avenue, St Peter's, Worcester, believes her card details were taken in a so-called 'cloning' scam at a cash machine in Shirley, Birmingham.

Sophisticated criminals are raiding people's bank accounts by placing devices over the card slot of cash machines. These read and store customers details, which can be later used to withdraw their money.

Miss Woods said: "I went to a retail park in Shirley in November to buy a stereo system and didn't have enough cash, so I decided to dip into my savings account.

"I haven't used it since, and so I was surprised when my statement arrived this week and showed I had just £400 on Tuesday, December 27. I called the bank and they informed me most of this had since been withdrawn on Friday, December 30.

"The statement doesn't give any details about where the money was withdrawn - they have somehow managed to get around that.

"I was going to use the money for a new home in Droitwich in April."

She said: "I blame modern technology - it seems to work in favour of the criminals more than anyone else.

"I was so upset when I opened the statement and I still feel like crying now. It just appears there is little people can do.

"I am not a rich woman and it will take me a long time to save that £4,000."

She is currently in talks with her bank to find if she can be reimbursed.

A police spokesman said Droitwich and Evesham had become hotspots for card cloning.

He said: "There have been quite a few incidents in recent months and this latest case has resulted in a woman losing a lot of money.

"However, people can take precautions to stop themselves becoming a victim of this crime. We would advise them to always check a cash machine before using it to see if there is anything unusual about it - especially around the slot where you place the card.

"Also, people should be aware of others standing too close when they withdraw money. Either ask them to stand back or don't use it.

"We have noticed too that some thieves are putting out-of-order signs on machines to get people to use the ones they have rigged. If you see such a sign, think twice about using the machine next to it."

Bank customer Nigel Craddock, of Evesham, was unaware that fraudsters had tried five times to taken money from his account until investigators from his bank called him at home to alert him.

He said: "I was informed by the fraud squad that five attempts were made on New Year's Day to extract funds, but because my card was chip-and-in they were unsuccessful."