Consumers are being warned to check transactions carefully

Apacs also revealed that counterfeiting crimes cost the UK �138m last year, out of the �373m total cost of card crime.

Banks, retailers and police are being encouraged to work together to try to reduce the level of counterfeit card transactions.

The latest element of the drive - dubbed the November Skimming Crackdown - will see shop, restaurant and petrol station staff urged to report card counterfeiters anonymously to Crimestoppers.

The fastest growing type of card fraud is a method of counterfeiting called skimming.

Skimming involves someone copying the magnetic stripe on a credit or debit card by swiping it through a small hand held card reader.

The copied data is then used to make counterfeit cards.

Melanie Hubbard of Card Watch, Apacs' fraud prevention programme, said: "Highly organised criminals bribe or threaten people working in petrol stations, restaurants and shops to skim customer cards for them."

She added: "Skimming may sound like easy money at first, but getting involved with these criminals and indirectly with the other crimes they fund is a serious mistake."

Research commissioned by Apacs in Scotland found:

• Almost one in four people (22%) have noticed something unusual on their card statement

• Two thirds of people do not understand what the term skimming means

• 91% of respondents in Scotland have never left their card unattended

However, Ms Hubbard said there are a number of steps that card users can take to minimise the risk of fraud:

• Guard your cards - try not to let them out of your sight when making a transaction

• Check your receipts against your statements carefully - if you find an unfamiliar transaction, contact your card issuer immediately

Ms Hubbard also explained the widespread introduction of "smart" bank cards would be an important step in the battle against counterfeiters.

Data contained in microchips in "smart" cards cannot be copied economically.

Already there are 20m chip cards in the UK and by the end of next year, half of the UK's 108m payment cards should contain chips.