POLICE have issued a warning following incidents in which bank cards have been stolen from women returning to their cars at supermarkets. Two such incidents happened on Monday (February 15) - at about 2pm at Tesco, in Bar Hill, and at about 5.30pm at Tesc

POLICE have issued a warning following incidents in which bank cards have been stolen from women returning to their cars at supermarkets. Two such incidents happened on Monday (February 15) - at about 2pm at Tesco, in Bar Hill, and at about 5.30pm at Tesco in Milton, Cambridge.

In the first, a 45-year-old woman had loaded her car with shopping and put her handbag in the car when she was approached by a foreign woman who asked for help in reading a map because she wanted to get to Rochdale.

After returning home the woman was called by her bank who said her card had been used to withdraw �500 from a machine at Bar Hill.

The second happened at Tesco in Milton, where a 37-year-old woman was approached by a woman, again asking for help reading a map.

The woman was called by her bank when she got home saying �500 had been taken from her account.

Another incident took place at Waitrose, in Hauxton Road, Cambridge, at about 3.35pm on February 3. This one involved a woman being distracted by a man who asked for directions to a hospital and a woman who asked for change for a �1.

This week the woman was contacted by her bank who said cash amounts totalling �1,800 had been withdrawn from her account.

Descriptions of people involved in the incidents are: a white man of Eastern European appearance, between 30 and 40, short dark hair, and of smart casual appearance; a white woman of Eastern European appearance, between 20 and 30, with dyed blonde hair.

Another woman with long red hair was also described but she may be the same woman as above wearing a wig.

Detective Sergeant Andy Denzey, from Parkside Police Station, said officers were linking the crimes.

He said: "I would urge people to be vigilant and aware of where their valuables and handbags are when loading cars with shopping.

"We believe these people are spying on victims while they use their cards at machines and then using their PIN numbers to withdraw cash once the card has been stolen.

"We would ask anyone with information about who is committing these offences to call police."

INFO:Anyone with information should contact Det Sgt Denzey on 0345 456 456 4 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.