Devon and Cornwall police are issuing a warning for shop keepers and staff of a suspected scam involving PayPoint machines.

Police have received reports from store managers who have PayPoint cash payment machine in their premises after they have been contacted by bogus callers, claiming to be acting on behalf of the PayPoint company.

The managers have been telephoned by suspects and asked to carry out ‘diagnostic checks’ on the machines.

This involves being asked to carry out transactions using the Paypoint machine – which is, in fact, transferring money onto online cash vouchers, which is then quickly spent.

PayPoint states that it never contacts its shopkeepers by telephone to carry out any function on the machine.

Peter Brooker of PayPoint said: “We have 375 shops with PayPoint terminals in Devon and Cornwall and we never call them to do upgrades, tests, diagnostic checks, installation of new services or anything else to the terminal. The unbreakable rule is that transactions must never be processed over the phone, even if the caller claims to be from PayPoint.

"If they receive a call asking them to do anything on the PayPoint terminal, however urgent it sounds, the shopkeeper should tell the caller they are going to check with PayPoint and then call us immediately.”

A total of six crimes have been committed in areas across the Force including Plymouth, Newquay, Helston, Penzance and Camelford with cash stolen in the £1,000s.

Anyone who thinks that they may have been a victim of this fraud is asked to please contact the police on the new non emergency number 101 and quote master crime number EL/12/1800.