A PENSIONER, who was robbed twice at cash points in Wanstead and Woodford, is warning residents to be on their guard as distraction thefts increase.

Ray Strachan, 84, of Wordsworth Avenue, South Woodford, was tricked when using ATM machines at NatWest in George Lane and Barclays in Wanstead High Street over the last two years.

He said: "On both occasions I put my card in to draw cash out and it just disappeared into the machine.

"Then someone behind me said to go into the bank and they would return it to me.

"I went in and they checked but there was no card.

"The thieves used the card very quickly and within a couple of minutes they had withdrawn money and also used my card in one of the super markets.

"How they could do that without my pin is a mystery to me so they must have looked over my shoulder.

"The first time it happened they took £2,000."

Mr Strachan was joined today (Friday) at the AMT at Waitrose, South Woodford, by Church End ward Police Community Support Officers Danny King and Jennifer Lawie, who distributed crime prevention leaflets about the distraction thefts.

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Police said: "We are currently experiencing an increase of thefts of cash cards as a result of people being distracted when taking cash out of the cash machines, ATM's, in the George Lane area.

"The suspects are distracting victims using the ATM's, by talking to them or holding a piece of paper in front of the machine, whilst the victim takes cash out and then the suspects steal the victims cash card and subsequently cash from either that machine or other machine's nearby.

"We have been re-assuring members of the public in and around the ATM's at Waitrose, and the banks in George Lane over the last few months and providing crime prevention advice in the form of a leaflet to make members of the public aware of the potential for crime and measures that they can take to prevent it happening to them."