While the woman didn’t become a victim of the scam, police said the e-mail correspondence is just one more reminder of the importance of skepticism when receiving messages asking for personal information.

Electronics retailer Best Buy, Co., Inc., on Thursday sent a nationwide warning to consumers alerting them of a scam operation where criminals were posing under the name of the company to receive credit card numbers and other personal information.

The e-mail received by the woman states the company was suspicious about an order placed from her credit card totaling $775. The e-mail, one of many received across the country, directs consumers to a fraud department page where they can confirm or decline the sale by providing personal information.

There’s one catch: the Web link doesn’t go to a Best Buy Web site, and criminals were collecting credit card numbers with the intent of fraudulently using the information.

Officers Friday did not release the name of the woman who received the e-mail message.

Officials report that the fraudulent Web site is no longer in operation, though it’s difficult to say just how many people fell prey before the scam was discovered.

Oshkosh Police Det. Phil Charley said the scam was just the latest in a number of identity theft attempts now operating through e-mail and the Internet.

Police urge people to double check with known phone numbers or Internet Web sites before providing any personal information.

Charley said identity theft and other fraud crimes are growing right along with the growth of technology.