Marlborough car park arrests after card 'swallowed' at bank in Calne

The men, who all gave the court addresses in London, are said to have fitted devices to the machines to nab the cards of unsuspecting customers.

When the alleged victim thought their plastic had been swallowed by the hole in the wall it is said the gang swooped and took it.

Mitrut Tei, Mihai Pepelea, Costica Dabica and Vasile Breaban all appeared at Swindon Crown Court charged with conspiracy to obtain services by deception.

They are also accused of going equipped for theft and possession of an article for use in fraud. All of the offences are said to have taken place on Thursday, May 3.

It is said they had a device which takes cards, and another system for stopping cash coming out of a machine.

Tei, 34, gave the court an address in Mill Hill, north London, while Pepelea, 23, Dabica, 30, and Breaban, 22, all live in Newham, in the east of the capital.

Three of the men were arrested in a car in Marlborough after a bank customer reported a problem with his card being swallowed by a cash machine in Calne.

Having phoned his bank after the plastic had got stuck in the machine he was told it had just been used to withdraw cash at another cash point.

No charges were formally put to the men, who needed a Romanian interpreter to translate the proceedings, and they did not enter any pleas during the brief hearing.

Judge Euan Ambrose adjourned the case to August 3 and remanded all four men in custody until then.

Sgt Phil Connor, of Calne police, said “Our advice to the public would be for everyone to be vigilant about this.

“People should check cash machines thoroughly before putting their card into the machine and if they see anything that worries them, or they feel is suspicious, call the police immediately.

“If your card disappears into the machine and will not return, try to stay within view of the machine while you contact your bank.

“This will help stop the offenders from returning to the machine to take the card or the device.”