HI-TECH criminals stole £400 from a Gwent woman's bank account after she used a cashpoint in Pontypool.

And police say the scam known as card 'skimming or cloning' meant a second victim in the area lost another £350.

Helen Bayliss, a 41-year-old health care worker, lost £400 after withdrawing money from the town's Tesco supermarket.

The scam involves a fake electronic panel being fixed over card slots at cashpoints to 'clone' bank details while a camera records the customers' pin number as they are typing it in.

A gang member just yards away with a laptop can receive the information in a matter of seconds.

A cloned card is then made and used by the thieves to buy goods across the country or even on the other side of the world, then the criminals often remove the device and re-locate it.

Full story in today's Argus.