INTERNET CROOKS TAP INTO BANK ACCOUNTS

CRIMINALS are secretly tapping into personal bank accounts in a huge Internet fraud operation.

They obtain personal credit or debit card details and run up bills before victims spot what is happening.

Ivo Smith, of Bath, found more than pounds 500 had vanished from his account on untraceable purchases including porn subscriptions and cinema tickets.But when he told Lloyds TSB they refused to close his account even when their own systems revealed an illegal transaction that same day. Instead, he was asked to prove he didn't make the purchases.

"Banks are clearly not geared up for this and Internet criminals are running rings around them," he said. "All the criminals need is a credit number, expiry date and name which they can easily pick up in restaurants or shops."

Lloyds TSB said they had since refunded the money to Mr Smith.

"We don't want our customers to be a victim of this and advise them to check their statements carefully," said a spokesman.

The Association for Payment Clearing Services says that new technology will make it harder for criminals to get hold of numbers.

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