The three men who are alleged to be running a cashpoint robbery scam preying on elderly and disabled people are still at large.
The men are believed to be working as a team to distract shoppers and staff before stealing money.
They are alleged to have stolen from a woman who was using a cash machine in Santander Bank, in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough.
Officers have released CCTV pictures in a bid to find the suspects.
Officers are also urging the public to be vigilant and “mindful” of the scam.
A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said after the men entered the bank, one of them distracted the ‘help desk’ staff while the other two targeted a lady at the cash machine.
One man dropped a £5 note on the floor, slightly behind the woman using the machine, and told the victim she had dropped the note.
As she bent down to pick it up, a second male, on the other side of the machine, reached over to remove the cash dispensed from the machine.
Sgt Peter Graham from Cleveland Police said: “The victim is left waiting for the cash, not realising it has already been stolen by the second person.”
The incident happened on Tuesday at 11.15am.
The three male suspects – all in their mid twenties and of slim build, are believed to be of Eastern European origin.
They were mainly wearing dark clothing, and all had short dark hair and one was wearing a baseball cap.
The Cleveland Police spokeswoman said officers believe the men may have also attempted to use this method to gain cash at other banks in the area.
She said: “Police are urging the public to be mindful of this scam.”
Sgt Graham added: “Please be vigilant and let us know if someone tries to distract you.”
Anyone with information or anyone who thinks they may also have been a victim of the scam is asked to contact police on the non-emergency 101 number.
Read the report: HERE
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