A trial that could have serious ramifications for the use of chip and pin in debit and credit cards concluded a few days ago.

Alain Job sued Halifax in March 2007 over a number of withdrawals from his bank account made in 2006, which amounted to £2,100.

Mr Job claims he has been the victim of fraud, possibly by a card cloning technique, and that he should be compensated.

However, Halifax argued that the card used to make the withdrawals was Mr Job’s own and that if he did not access the money then he must have been negligent with his card security.

Mr Job had referred the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, but the organisation - which mediates disputes between financial services firms and consumers - backed Halifax.

The case is the first of its kind in the UK and a verdict is expected in a month - and if Mr Job wins, it could call into question the security of the chip and pin mechanism.

According to UK payments firm Apacs, chip and pin has helped to reduce fraud since its inception a number of years ago.

Growth in fraud has been caused by areas not protected by the technology, Apacs claims.