If you've sent all of your personal information to a Nigerian prince and are awaiting your riches, perhaps this news is for you.

A con has resurfaced in North Dakota that is more subtle than the typical frying-pan-over-the-head attempts at identity theft. It's a credit card scam that almost sounds legit and requires little of the mark.

It works like this: A person calls and says he or she is a representative of the security or fraud department for whatever major credit card you might hold. They'll state a fake badge number and then trot out a story about how there have been some unusual purchases made on your card. They'll ask if you bought such-and-such from a particular company, and when you tell them you haven't they will attempt to set the hook.

The caller tells you the bank will issue a credit to your account, and that he or she will begin a fraud investigation. But there's one more thing: The caller needs to make sure you're in possession of your card. The way to do that, they'll say, is by reading them the numbers that are printed on the card's reverse.

Once they have the last three digits, which is the cardholder's personal identification number, they can use it to make purchases on that account.

Sgt. Dwight Offerman, of the Bismarck Police Department, said police have had a report on this scam in the last few weeks.

"Anything that asks for complete information, ask if you can call them back, and then check it out," Offerman said.

Parrell Grossman, an attorney in the attorney general's consumer protection and antitrust division, said the scam is not a new one here.

"We have had previously, Ithink last year, questions about this one,"Grossman said. "I don't recall that there have been any recent victims, but within the past two years this scam has circulated around the state. People continue, unfortunately, to become victims to these scams. You can't be warned too many times."

Grossman said if you're contacted out of the blue by someone who wants you to provide personal information, such as a credit card number, don't give it to them.

"Our primary admonishment is that your bank will never, under any circumstance, contact you by telephone or send you an e-mail and ask you to verify or provide your credit card number or any security codes, such as the code carried on the back of your credit card,"he said. "They already have your information, and they don't need you to verify it. Probably the most a bank would do is ask you about (unusual purchases)."

If you have any questions about possible scams, you can call the consumer protection and antitrust division at 800-472-2600.