Update: Hatfield family's Christmas joy hit by credit card fraud

A MUM-OF-FIVE is warning people to be on their guard after she became the victim of card fraud just a week before Christmas.

Michelle Denty, from Hatfield, had stopped at a petrol station on Wednesday morning to use a cash machine.

And to her horror, she found £250 had been removed from her account.

Mrs Denty told the WHT what happened next.

"I immediately rang Nationwide," she said.

"They told me the money was taken out at 6.30am in Harlow, but I was sorting the children out at home then."

The 27-year-old was told it appeared her cashcard had been cloned, but she cannot recall a time when this could have happened.

She added: "I am normally very vigilant when I go to the cash machine and I always shield my PIN."

Mrs Denty, of The Downs, described the fraud as "upsetting" and said it had put a "major dampener" on her festive preparations.

"My husband is on the minimum wage, so we rely on tax credits to help us pay the bills," she said.

"We are on a very limited budget now for Christmas.

"The children now won't be able to have the extras I would hope to have been able to give them."

She also gave the following advice: "Be very vigilant and on your guard when using a cash machine."

Nationwide Building Society would not comment about Mrs Denty's individual case, but a spokeswoman said: "Where suspected fraudulent activity has taken place, Nationwide will investigate the case fully and refund all account holders who have been innocent victims of fraud.