A TRIP to a filling station in various parts of Kent has cost hundreds of unwitting motorists thousands of pounds.

They have paid for petrol using a plastic card and later found money missing from their accounts.

Fraudsters stole details from customers of three petrol stations in the Maidstone area when they filled up and paid using the chip and pin system – which is supposed to guard against scams.

The other petrol stations known to be affected are in the Ashford and Canterbury areas. Members of staff are not suspected.

Kent Police is investigating at least 290 reports of fraud in relation to one of the Maidstone-area garages, and about 600 to 700 county-wide so far. The average amount lost by each victim was £1,000.

Earlier this month, Shell suspended chip and pin payments at garages across the country when details of the £1m scam emerged but Kent police said the oil multinational was not the only chain involved.

Jaspal Bhambra, the post master at Boughton Monchelsea Post Office, near Maidstone, said £500 had been taken from his account – in two cashpoint withdrawals – after he filled up with petrol at Shell Tamarisk, in Linton Road, Loose.

Mr Bhambra said: “It was shocking, losing £500 overnight when you’re sleeping. It was done on Monday night and the bank rang me on Tuesday morning at 11am.”

Speaking to customers and other people from the area, Mr Bhambra has come across other stories of similar fraud.

He said: “I spoke to one gentleman who lost £9,000. It was done in Italy and Singapore. I think I was luckier than others.” The bank has refunded Mr Bhambra’s money.

Shell customer Charlotte Brawn, 34, of Linden Road, Coxheath, Maidstone, also noticed £52 missing from her account when she checked it over the internet.

Mrs Brawn said: Two payments had gone through. I phoned and they said it had gone through on my husband’s card and was done in Singapore. They asked if he had been away recently.

“We got on to it quickly and cancelled all our cards. The payments had gone through on May 14, but because we use the petrol station every week, I couldn’t say when they took our details.

“We keep hearing of people in Coxheath and Loose who use that garage and who had money taken, but I think a lot of people haven’t discovered it yet.”

A spokesman for Shell said: “Shell is aware that a small number of customers have been affected by the misuse of bank cards after visiting a limited number of service stations in the UK.

“Shell’s Chip and PIN solution is fully accredited and complies with all related industry standards.

“However, in the interests of our customers, we have temporarily suspended Chip and PIN availability in our UK company owned service stations.

“This is a precautionary measure to protect the security of our customers’ transactions.

“Customers are unaffected by this action – you can still pay for your fuel, goods or services with your card by swipe and signature.

“We have been working closely with the police, the card companies and the Association of Payment Clearance Services.

“As the police investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for Shell to comment further. We will reintroduce Chip and PIN as soon as possible.

“We apologise to our customers if there has been any inconvenience caused.”Steve Booth, intelligence analyst at Kent police’s Serious Economic Crime unit, said fraudsters had got hold of PIN pads and modified them to record customers’ PIN details and data from the magnetic stripe on the card.

“The people who run these businesses are as much victims as anyone else,” said Mr Booth. “Word gets around and people stop going there. They could go out of business through no fault of their own.”

Customers’ details were often obtained up to a month before they were used to withdraw money, said Mr Booth.

The delay and the time it took people to notice missing cash, means police are still receiving between 10 and 15 reports a day from victims. All businesses involved have stopped using Chip and PIN.

Mr Booth said customers should be wary if Chip and PIN cards were “swiped” through a machine, instead of being popped in the chip reader. If you’re doing a Chip and PIN transaction and the assistant puts the card into the machine, there is no reason to swipe it as well.”

Several arrests have been made in connection with the inquiry.