A spate of Credit Card fraud in the county has prompted the

Wiltshire Police to issue a warning to the public and businesses to be extra

vigilant.

Clive Read, of the Financial Investigation Team at Gablecross

Police Station, said: “This is an elaborate scam which I am keen to bring to

the public’s attention.”

Recent weeks have had offenders apply for credit cards in their

own names, but upon receiving the cards have replaced the magnetic strip on the

back with the details of cards that have been previously stolen.

Due to the credit cards being tampered with, they are rejected

from chip and pin machines and offenders are then asked to sign for the goods

that they are purchasing. Instead of the goods being charged to the offenders’

accounts, they are charged to those people who have had their cards stolen as their information is on the back of the cards. 

Clive Read added: “Businesses

should be looking out for cards that are rejected by chip and pin machines and

sales assistants should be checking the numbers on the front of credit cards

and making sure that they correspond with the numbers printed on the receipt.

If they differ then the cards have been tampered with.”

If anyone has any information, Clive Read at Gablecross Police

Station can be contacted on 0845 408 7000 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555

111 where information may be left anonymously if preferred.