TOP of Matt Evans’s shopping list is a shredder. After thieves raided his bins and transferred more than £4,000 of debt to credit cards he rarely used the IT developer is taking no chances.

“I’m not going to chuck anything away now,” Mr Evans said. “If you sling anything in the bin, people can easily come and find personal information.”

The 26-year-old from Sheffield had no idea that he had been targeted by fraudsters until his card statements arrived. His Halifax card showed a balance transfer into his account of £900 while £3,500 showed up on his Virgin credit card.

“I spotted the mistakes because I didn’t use the cards regularly and I knew the balances should have been zero,” he said. “The balance transfers could have come from other credit cards taken out by the fraudsters in my name that I am not aware of. I have applied for my credit reference to see if that is the case.”

Both of Mr Evans’s credit card providers have put a stop on his cards and are investigating the fraud.

Georgina Stanley, 27, a financial journalist from West London, fell victim to debit card fraud last June when her card was cloned by fraudsters.

Using a card-skimming device attached to a Barclays cash dispenser in Maida Vale, London, the thieves were able to produce a counterfeit card and withdraw money.

Ms Stanley said: “The fraudsters were very cunning. When my card was cloned, they made two £300 cash withdrawals before and after midnight to take the maximum amount from my account before I was able to spot that something was wrong. I was extremely annoyed when I found out because I was on a trip to Copenhagen and was left stranded there with no money.”

Ms Stanley believes that consumers are becoming more aware about the potential risks of fraud. “I am pleased that there is more publicity about card fraud,” she said. “Everyone seems to know about it and I hope that this will stop it from rising further.”