DETECTIVES say they have smashed part of an international credit card gang after raiding a petrol station in Weymouth.

Dozens of drivers using the Shell garage on Dorchester Road at Redlands are thought to have been preyed on by the gang.

Police said credit cards used by motorists to pay for petrol had been cloned and tens of thousands of pounds was then withdrawn from accounts in places such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Five people were arrested after officers swooped on the garage and sealed it off yesterday lunchtime. It re-opened just after 3pm.

Det Insp Marcus Hester of Weymouth CID said: "Following numerous reports of cloned cards in the Weymouth area, Dorset Police attended the Shell garage on Dorchester Road.

"The garage was closed while a search was made of the premises. Several other properties were also searched as part of the investigation and five people have been arrested.

"The cloned cards have been used in various countries and inquiries are continuing as part of a larger investigation into the cloning of cards."

Mick and Julie Coles who run the Extra Mile chauffeur business at Chickerell were among those caught by the scam.

Mrs Coles, 45, said: "We lost £1,400 to someone in Sri Lanka. My husband used the Shell garage at Redlands and we fear that it could have been that that caused our loss but our bank, Lloyds, is investigating and has stopped our card.

"We have no card now, we need to buy petrol for our business every day and the whole thing make me feel sick. I feel personally violated."

Transactions have been reported in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Malaysia.

Another driver stung by the scam was retired security officer Derek Taylor, 69, of Southill, Weymouth.

He said: "I bought £15.09 worth of petrol at the Shell garage and didn't think anything more about it until the fraud squad phoned me from India as I was shopping in Asda.

"They asked me if I had taken a large amount of money out of my account and I said, no. Then they said my account had been cleaned out.

"I talked to my bank, HSBC, and when I did so they said I was the tenth person that day that the fraud squad had inquired about. "I lost about £300, including part of my pension. Whoever did it took out about £242 the first time and then another amount which emptied my account."

Bovington Camp mechanic Steve Myatt, 39, from Weymouth lost nearly £600 from his Royal bank of Scotland account, which was withdrawn in Thailand.

He said: "It is absolutely gutting. Luckily my bank was on the ball, contacted me and stopped the card. They told us we would probably get the money back from them, but I have never been robbed before.

"My privacy has been violated and with my wife Donna pregnant with our second child we don't need the stress."

Another man said: "I have talked to up to 20 people who have been caught by this scam. One woman said her card had been used to get £2,000 worth of Tesco shopping and phone vouchers, another woman said someone in Sri Lanka had taken £3,500 from her account and another woman lost more than £900 to someone in India."

Another driver from Weymouth said he was caught by the same scam and nearly lost £174.

He said: "It is a bit dodgy really. Someone in Sri Lanka tried to take my money and they then tried twice more to get £50 out in Malaysia before I got a letter from my bank, Barclays, warning me that they were concerned that my credit card might be being used fraudulently.

"I phoned them straight back, they asked me if I was in Sri Lanka and when I said I wasn't they immediately stopped my card.

"I was lucky because I didn't actually lose money but several of my friends did lose hundreds of pounds each so I reckon it must have been a pretty big scam."

Det Insp Hester said: "Anyone who has been notified by their bank of their card being cloned and who have used the Shell petrol station on Dorchester Road should contact Dorset Police on 01305 222222.

"We would like to remind card users to always cover their PIN with their free hand when paying for goods by credit or debit card so that no one can obtain their PIN by sight or other means.

"Anyone with a bank card account should regularly check their account and if there are any suspicious transactions card holders should immediately contact their bank."