A Tauranga woman is among more than 100 Waikato Westpac bank customers robbed by internet thieves using card skimmers to net bank account details.

The woman, who has not been named, received a 3am call from the bank advising her accounts were frozen because of suspicious activity.

When she logged into her accounts someone was removing money from her cheque account in £300 (about the NZ $600 ATM limit) chunks.

'And the scary thing was that they were using my eftpos debit card,” she says.

'The bank in Tauranga told me that they had just been informed of another Tauranga customer with the same problem. This means that there has been a skimming machine at work somewhere local here that has taken the details of the card and pin.

'I suspect this also means that more than Westpac customers will be affected. And it could be one of you.”

The news comes as the Waikato Times reports thieves have cleaned out the bank accounts of Westpac customers in Matamata, Cambridge and Te Kuiti.

The thefts took place last week, but the card details are thought to have been swiped months ago.

Westpac media liason Haley Ritchie says a large number of transactions occurred across Europe, mainly in Spain and the UK around 1am on Friday, August 8, where money was withdrawn from accounts using card information harvested in Matamata, Cambridge and Te Kuiti.

The bank's fraud team is investigating, but did not confirm how many customers were hit or the amounts involved.

The bank's external relations manager Chris Mirams says the bank has not noted any skimming activity in the Tauranga area.

'We would ask any customers with concerns about their card to contact us immediately,” says Chris.

Tauranga Police have not been approached about the thefts, says acting Detective Senior Sergeant Alan Kingsbury.

Westpac advises customers should always take precautions when using a card at any terminal: Cover the keypad when entering a PIN, don't use any terminal that appears unusual looking or offers options that you are not familiar or comfortable with, and closely monitor bank statements and balances, and immediately contact the bank with any concerns.