Barclays Bank has outlined plans to clamp down on rising levels of ATM fraud and is urging customers to be extra vigilant when using machines.
Earlier this month the UK bank wrote to all customers stating that it was limiting daily withdrawals on a single card to £300 in an effort to protect itself from spiralling levels of fraud.
In September, Barclays says it will introduce a new warning screen on all its ATMs which gives advice on what to do if the machine looks like it has been tampered with.
And in October, the bank aims to be the first in the UK to introduce a new industry standard "shield your PIN icon" on its ATM screens. This icon reminds all consumers of best practice when entering their PIN details in order to protect against shoulder-surfing criminals.
Barnaby Davis, head of ATMs at Barclays advises: "With nearly £4000 per second expected to be withdrawn from ATMs this Bank Holiday weekend our advice to people is stay vigilant when withdrawing money. Consumers should also regularly check their statements to detect signs of fraud early on, at which point they should let their banks know immediately."
According to figures from industry payments body Apacs, cash machine fraud increased from £29.1 million in 2002 to £39 million in 2003.
Barclays is not the only UK bank to be spooked by increases in ATM card crime. Recently online bank First Direct wrote to customers advising them to limit their use of cash machines to just once a week and to withdraw enough money to last.