A woman had money taken out of her bank account after one criminal distracted her attention in a Ross-on-Wye car park, while his partner in crime stole her bank cards from her purse, on Saturday, December 5th.

The woman reported the incident to the police, and it transpired that whilst she had been shopping at Morrisons, she had been watched at the till point while she was entering her pin. The fraudsters were able to obtain her pin number by observing her this way.

While she was loading her vehicle with the shopping, an Eastern European male asked her for directions to the hospital. While she was speaking to him, his accomplice went into her purse, and removed her bank cards.

Police are urging anyone who saw anything suspicuous, or anyone who may have any information relating to this incident, to contact them by calling 101. The reference number is: 0256-S-051215.

Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of this nature. The Ross Gazette has recieved many police reports of similar situations in recent months, so a reminder is being put out to all local residents to be vigilant, and to keep belongings secure.

Local police have an ongoing operation in the area, as this type of distraction technique is becoming more common. A spokesperson from West Mercia Police said: "We remind the public to always be cautious of who is around them when entering their PIN number, and always shield it from prying eyes. Be aware of your belongings when stopped and asked questions such as directions to somewhere or have you seen my dog, or recently a defect on their vehicle (rigged by the offender) pointed out, whilst looking at this, offender has stolen cards."