An elderly man has £240 stolen from him in a distraction burglary.

On January 30, a 78-year-old man was using a cash point in Lyttlelton Road, East Finchley, when two men distracted him and stole his bank card after he had entered his card and pin number into the machine.

The men withdrew £240 from his account and attempted to withdraw £600 but this was declined at the bank.

Inspector Foster Percil, who works for Barnet Police, has issued a warning to help people protect themselves from ATM theft.

He said: "There has been a recent increase in distraction thefts at ATMs in Barnet Borough.

"With this in mind, please be aware of anyone standing close by and always check the machine to see if it’s been tampered with before you use it."

The tell-tale signs of ATM fraud include devices attached to the machine, which, if found, should be reported to the police and the bank.

Insp Percil also suggested being aware of your surroundings at the PIN machine, covering your pin and keeping an eye out for people looking suspicious, and watching for contactless cards.

A card holder can be purchased which stops a contactless card being read inadvertently.

He continued: "We don’t want you to be paranoid, but being aware of your surroundings and not being distracted makes it harder for people to take advantage and less likely that they’ll try to."