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Criminal gangs have been working overtime to empty the bank accounts of residents across Perthshire.

Skimming devices have been discovered on a string of cash machines by officers. Worst affected has been Auchterarder, where ATMs have been targeted four times in just three months.

Sergeant Sandra Williams said arrests had been made in connection with one of the incidents. Eagle-eyed residents spotted one of the machines and ensured it could be quickly removed before anyone could be scammed.

Sergeant Williams, however, admitted she was as yet uncertain whether any of the other attempts had been more successful.

The officer urged residents to take extra care to ensure that they do not become victims of crime. Skimming devices are designed to read cash and credit card details without the knowledge of the cardholder.

The equipment is designed to appear genuine to the untrained or unsuspecting eye and can enable criminals to pillage their victims’ bank accounts.

Alongside the spate of Perthshire incidents, skimming has also come to prominence in Fife, where police last month discovered a number of illegal devices.

The first was found at the Tesco store in South Road, Cupar, after a resident’s bank card got stuck in an ATM outside the supermarket.

A short time later, a second device was seized from the Clydesdale Bank in the town’s St Catherine Street.

In May, police in Perth were called to investigate after an illicit device was discovered on one of the Bank of Scotland ATMs on King Edward Street.

Police are urging users to pay close attention when withdrawing money and look to see if there is anything out of the ordinary stuck into or on to the machine.

Anything out of place should be reported to the police and service provider.