THERE you are, trying to get money out of your account. You're standing inside the bank in shock talking to a cashier, or are outside wondering why the cash machine has swallowed your card.

Discovering that your account is empty and devoid of every last penny is one of the biggest shocks you can have.

Especially if you know you haven't spent it.

Banking bosses have revealed that ATM fraud has jumped by a third in the past year alone.

And every one of us is at risk from these hole-in-the-wall gangs.

Spare a thought for single mum Carol Godden of Parkstone who told the Daily Echo how her Barclays account suffered a massive cash haemorrhage of £1,180 over a period of several days.

Carol, a pharmacy technician at Christchurch Hospital, believes the thieves copied her bank card after she used it at the ATM at Bryant Road in Wallisdown.

The 45-year-old had become a victim of the growing crime of ATM cloning, where thieves copy people's cash cards without their knowledge and then drain the accounts of their money.

"I feel such a fool because I didn't realise this sort of thing goes on," said Carol. "I now want as many people as possible to know about this type of crime to stop them from becoming victims like me."

Another victim and her partner were scammed for £890 after falling victim to a card skimming device in a Barclays cash machine at Bournemouth University.

Police believe the skimming device inside the machine stole information from the cards, backed up by a camera taking pictures from a distance to capture the PIN numbers.

The victim said: "I remember checking the machine and it looked normal to me. The problem was trying to get the money back from the bank afterwards.

"We had to fill out form after form and it felt more like an insurance claim than a criminal inquiry. We had to prove 100 per cent that we couldn't have been in London at the times the thieves took the money out.

"Someone out there is making a mint."

One of the ploys used by the criminals is to put one cash machine out of action, but then insert a skimming device into a neighbouring one.

This happened to a pair of machines in Bournemouth town centre, where tomato ketchup had been squirted over one - channelling unsuspecting people to use its neighbour, which contained the skimming device.

Julia Husband, Barclays' regional liaison manager said the bank takes card fraud very seriously and will always refund all cash removed from an ATM fraud once the claim is proved to be 100 per cent true.

"Once a fraudster has managed to obtain details of a customer's card, they will defraud any type of account as much as they can, until a customer becomes suspicious and contacts their bankers," she said.

"It is essential that customers are vigilant at all times, not only when using the cash machine but also when paying for goods. We would ask our customers to check their accounts regularly as this is one way to nip fraudulent activity in the bud.

"When Chip and PIN technology becomes widespread it will really help."

DI Sue Wynn of Dorset Police runs the unit that investigates cases of economic crime.

"It's really important for the public to be vigilant," she said. "People think it's not going to happen to them, and when it does they find it hard to understand why they've lost their money because they still have hold of their cash cards."

So what should you do when using a cash machine?

l Check it to see if there is anything stuck to it or anything looks unusual about it. This includes a camera set up near it. If there is, don't use it and report it to the police and bank immediately.

l Use your free hand to cover the PIN pad as you input your number.

l If you are interrupted or distracted by anyone when using the machine, cancel the transaction and recover your card.

If you see someone lurking near the machine, don't use it. Check to see if anyone is sitting in a car watching the machine.