Cash machine fraud cost nearly £30m last year alone. It’s a staggering amount, particularly when Tony Blake, from the dedicated cheque and plastic crime unit based in London, explained to me just how easy it is for us to beat the conmen.
Tony travelled down to meet the X-Ray team in Swansea. He brought with him his very own cash machine to demonstrate exactly how they can be fitted with devices and cameras to get access to your cash.
Tony Blake and Lucy Owen during filming in Swansea for X-Ray
Transporting and setting up the mock machine in the shopping centre was a fairly major operation, with some shoppers, I think, wondering what on earth was going on. With copious notes and scripts, one bemused passer-by asked a security guard whether, with all our papers, we were carol singers!
We had a very different message to get across though. I was astonished to see how well tiny cameras – that would capture your pin number – could be hidden. They were so inconspicuous it would be highly unlikely you would ever spot them, even if you checked the machine before using it.
Unfortunately, it's all pretty clever stuff. But the great news is we can prevent it really easily. And it’s not often that it's so simple to pull the rug from under sophisticated criminal activity.
Just cover your pin when you enter it. Literally, it's as simple as that. We'll show you the best way of shielding your pin from any hidden cameras on the programme tonight. Just remember to do it every time, wherever you are - even machines inside banks have been targeted.
So I hope that helps keep your cash safe and in your account this Christmas. We're taking a short break after tonight, but the team will still be here to fight for you, so remember to get in touch if you need our help. Email xray@bbc.co.uk or call 03703 334 334. We’ll be back in the new year, see you then.
Watch X-Ray tonight on BBC One Wales from 7.30pm, and on BBC iPlayer for the seven days after transmission.
