Visa customers report phishing attempt

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Attorney General's office was getting calls Friday from worried Visa customers who received a text message asking for their credit card number, spokeswoman Jennifer Canada said.

The victims reported getting a text messages about a restriction on their Visa account with a phone number to call. Those who called the number got a recording instructing them to enter a credit card number.

Canada said the solicitation is similar to one that members of the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union reported in late February.

Canada repeated the attorney general's warning about phishing attempts – the use of calls, e-mails and Web sites that appear to be from a user's bank to try to get customers' personal account information.

“The IRS isn’t going to e-mail you for your personal information. Your bank and your credit card company already have your information and won’t call or e-mail you to ask for it,” Attorney General Roy Cooper warned after the February incident. “No matter how real these messages sound or look, don’t take the bait.”

Canada shared a list of tips to avoid falling for a phishing scam.