Drivers in the borough have been warned of a new parking meter scam, which could result in loss of money from their bank accounts.

Richmond Council's Parking and Community Safety teams have received reports that many borough residents, especially older citizens, have been targeted by parking meter bank card fraud.

The scam involves con artists stealing the bank cards of victims by pretending their cards have been swallowed by a parking machine. They then pretend to help by making a fake a call to the machine operator before claiming a parking attendant is on their way to sort out the problem.

The conman then uses the stolen card to withdraw money from a nearby cash machine while their victim waits for assistance which never arrives.

Richmond Council safety teams are urging drivers to remember it is impossible for parking machines to retain bank cards as the slot is only big enough to accommodate half of a card so any indication the card has been swallowed is completely fraudulent.

A spokesperson said: "If anyone approaches you when you go to pay for parking, please be cautious and never insert your card into a parking machine when someone you do not know is present."

The Council has an alternative system for cashless parking called RingGo – it is a quick, easy to use mobile phone service, which lets you pay for your parking with a credit or debit card, rather than using a Pay and Display machine. You can register to use the free RingGo service online.

If you suspect you have been a victim of fraud, please ring 101 or get in touch online at met.police.uk. For emergencies, call 999.