Londoners warned of card skimming risk

Tube and train stations awash with card cloners

The Metropolitan Police is warning commuters to be extra careful when buying tickets at London train and tube stations because of an increase in card skimming.

The "Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit", made up of Met and City of London officers and card industry experts, has seen an increase in card skimming devices on ticket machines at London train stations.

The coppers are repeating advice to avoid becoming a victim - don't use a machine if someone is lurking suspiciously nearby, don't use a machine which has suspicious attachments but do tell station staff, and shield the keypad while you enter your PIN.

Transport for London said that even though crime on the Tube was very low - 13 crimes per million passengers - it wanted to make sure travellers were aware of the risks.

The fraud has become common in part because of disinterest lack of interest by police and banks. Victims of the fraud in the UK were previously told to go to their bank, not the police, to report the crime. ®