FESTIVE shoppers in Ayrshire have been warned against the latest ATM scams hitting high streets.

Across Scotland Christmas and New Year The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has issued a call for extra vigilance when withdrawing cash over one of the busiest periods of the year for shopping.

Over £11 billion is expected to be withdrawn by the public this winter, and fraudsters will be looking to target unsuspecting shoppers by tampering with ATMs.

Mark Anderson, Business Resilience Adviser, said: “Christmas and New Year are opportunistic times for criminals – almost every one of us will go to take out cash from an ATM at some point over the festive period.

“Tell-tale signs that an ATM may have been affected include: Hidden cameras, shield the keypad when entering a PIN number as pinhole cameras can be placed anywhere on the machine.

“Skimming devices, bulky covers might be evidence of a skimming device which records card details. If there is a bulky cover over the card slot, and if it becomes loose or falls off, the ATM should not be used.

“False fronts, if the PIN pad feels spongy.”