Police warning continues following further distraction thefts in Shropshire

People are advised to be particularly careful with handbags, purses and wallets, to keep valuable items secure and to be especially vigilant at checkouts and cash machines.

The offenders have been known to distract victims at the supermarkets, in banks or in busy town centres or shopping centres in order to steal their bank cards.

On Saturday 5 March at around 1pm, a man in his sixties, was the victim of a distraction theft at Barclays Bank on Castle Street in Shrewsbury.

Whilst using the cash machine he was told he had dropped a £20 note. Whilst he was distracted the offenders swapped his bank card. Fortunately he was able to cancel the card before any attempts to withdraw money were made. The man who distracted him was described as tall and unshaven with an Eastern European accent.

A similar incident occurred last Thursday 3 March when a woman in her eighties, was bumped into by a man in a charity shop. She later discovered that two cards had been taken from her purse and withdrawals had been made on each account. She was unable to give a detailed description of the suspect.

Steve Loveridge, a Crime Prevention Design Advisor for West Mercia Police said: "We are working to trace the offenders and put an end to these types of offences, but it's important that the public remain vigilant.

Please warn any elderly friends or relatives to look out for elderly shoppers who are often targeted by these criminals.

Anytime you use your card, whether it's at a cash point or at a checkout, keep an eye out for 'shoulder surfers' who may be watching you enter your PIN."

You can find more crime prevention advice on our website. https://westmercia.police.uk/Personal. If you see anything suspicious, call 101 as soon as possible.

We would also urge anyone with any information about either of the above incidents to call 101 quoting incident number 313 of the 5 March for the incident in Barclays Bank and 226 of 3 March for the incident at Riverside Shopping Centre.

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org