By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Alabaster Police Department is warning of a telephone scam aimed at collecting personal information from local residents.

According to a post on the police department’s Facebook page, scammers claiming to represent a credit card company may be starting to call Alabaster residents. When calling, the scammers often “seem legitimate” by “providing you with the actual name of the bank issuing your card, and possibly your account number,” according to the post.

The caller will claim they are investigating unusual purchase patterns on the account, and will ask about a specific purchase.

“When you tell them you did not make the purchase they described, they will then state the credit card company will issue you a credit for the fraudulent charge, as well as start a fraud investigation on your behalf,” read the post. “They will even confirm your mailing address, further appearing as though they are actually legitimate. However, the caller will ask you to provide the three-digit security number on the back of your credit card to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen.”

Police said the purpose of the scam is to obtain the three-digit security number on the card, because having the number will allow the scammer to make purchases on an account without the account owner’s knowledge.

“Genuine credit card companies will not ask you for the 3 digital security number since they already know what’s printed on the card they issued,” read the post.

Police encourage anyone who receives a call seeking personal information to first contact their credit card company to verify the issue.