Britain's biggest banks are considering introducing carers cards in attempt to stop cashpoint fraud, the Telegraph has learned. It comes after a cancer patient had £16k withdrawn from his bank account over the course two months before his death.

The man’s bank, Santander, is now considering introducing new products to give carers controlled access to the finances of the person they are looking after.

This could take the form of carers cards, which limit cash withdrawals and restrict certain types of spending. Barclays and HSBC are the only other banks which currently offers such facilities.

Action on Elder Abuse, a helpline for victims, said withdrawing money in cash is now the "easy option" for fraudsters looking to steal large sums of money over a long period.

This is because unlike with credit card fraud, where banks now use sophisticated prevention technology to spot suspicious activity, unauthorised cashpoint withdrawals often go undetected.