Barclays Bank, Whitstable High Street where a 39-year-old man was arrested by officers on Tuesday evening.

by Adam Williams

A man arrested outside a Whitstable bank in connection with suspected cash machine fraud this week has been charged.

Codrin Florea, 39, was arrested on Tuesday at Barclays Bank, High Street, around 6pm.

The arrest follows a series of thefts of cards, mainly from Barclays branches in Whitstable, Herne Bay and Canterbury.

Florea, of no fixed abode, was charged with conspiracy to steal and was due to appear before Canterbury Magistrates Court on Thursday.

“Skimming” devices have been fitted to cash machines to trap cards and obtain PIN numbers. Card holders are then caught unawares that they have become a victim of fraud, with cash machines indicating faults have occurred and an on-screen message telling them their card has been retained.

Fraudsters return to the machines to remove the devices and trapped cards, obtaining cash before customers have even reported them stolen.

Det Insp Nick Greenan, head of the east Kent’s tactical CID, assured the public major steps are being taken to curb the problem.

He said: “We have been working with local partners and Barclays Bank to try and protect the public from this type of fraud.

“Anyone using a Barclays machine locally that has retained their card should always report it to their bank immediately. “Organised criminal fraudsters are always on the look-out for new ways to steal personal identity details and in this instance appear to have been targeting users of Barclays Bank machines.”