Staff at a Worcester building society foiled a gang’s attempt to copy credit card details from its external cash machine.

A Nationwide employee tipped off police after two men were seen acting suspiciously in High Street.

An employee found a copying device inserted into the machine, which was then disabled to stop the public using it, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Three men were filmed on the society’s CCTV cameras as they returned to the machine and were arrested.

David Kocis, a Romanian who had been in Britain nearly three years, lied to police that he had spotted the device and was trying to remove it with a knife, said prosecutor Delroy Henry.

Judge Patrick Thomas dismissed it as “an absurd story” and ruled Kocis was a member of a sophisticated gang. He jailed the 23-year-old for two years after he pleaded guilty to possession of articles for use in fraud.

The judge told him: “This is a method of fraud that is becoming widespread. If you had succeeded, we have no idea how much profit you and others would have made.

"You knew perfectly well what you were doing. Anyone who thinks they can come here and commit serious crime and walk needs to think again. Serious crime gets serious punishment."

Defence counsel Ken Rogers said Kocis, of Burleigh Road, Northampton, had been roped in by a gang after he came to the UK “believing the streets were paved with gold”. He was “a foot soldier” not a major conspirator, he said, who had fallen in with a bad crowd.

Mr Rogers argued that after spending 130 days in custody on remand, Kocis deserved a chance to carry out community work instead of further jail.

Kocis’s cousin gave evidence that he would find the defendant – a man of previous good character – a job in the firm he worked for and keep an eye on him to prevent crime.

But the judge revealed in cross-examination that Kocis had lived with his cousin since his arrival in this country.

He said he should have been given the opportunity to deport the fraudster but had not been provided with the necessary paperwork.

Police are still searching for Kocis’s accomplices.

A Nationwide spokesman said: “ATM skimming is an industry issue. This case emphasises the importance of both staff and customers being vigilant and reporting any suspicions about ATMs to the relevant authorities.”