Teaching assistant Candice O'Riordan has vowed never to use a cash machine again after she was conned out of £350.

The 18-year-old from Brighton believes her Natwest Bank card was cloned by fraudsters who took money from her account over a period of three days.

She reported the mystery withdrawals to her bank, which has promised to investigate.

But Candice, who works at Carlton Hill Primary School in Brighton, said the experience had put her off cash machines for life.

Candice had only recently received a compensation payment for a car accident in which she was knocked down in Hove at the age of 12.

She said: "I was really devastated because I was about to use the money to buy a car. I was checking my account and suddenly realised there was only £20 left. I think my card was cloned because I hadn't handed my card or my PIN number to anyone and I hadn't been to the bank. I always keep my card with me.

"I read the article in The Argus that said loads of people in Brighton and Hove have had the same thing happen to them."

The Argus has reported five victims a day are now claiming cash has been taken from their accounts by thieves in Brighton and Hove. Police estimate fraudsters have siphoned £1 million from accounts in the city.

Kevin Robinson, 33, of Windmill Copse, Storrington, had his life savings of £4,820 stolen and Anne Robertson, from Patcham, Brighton, lost thousands of pounds.

Villains obtain cloned cards by fitting phoney machine slots over the front of cash machines. They read a card's magnetic strip while a camera records PINs.

Candice said she hoped her bank, the Castle Square branch of Natwest in Brighton, would refund the money taken from her account.

The teenager said: "I'm not going to use cashpoints again. I'll go to the cashier inside the bank instead."

Lorraine Rudge, a spokeswoman for Natwest, said no decision about compensating Candice had been made. She said: "We would never want customers to be out of pocket as a result of fraud and we always try to compensate where possible. In this case we need to investigate a bit further."

Candice was due to meet her bank manager again today.