TREASURE VALLEY — Attorney General Lawrence Wasden warned consumers not to respond to text messages claiming to be from Bank of the Cascades.

Idaho consumers have been contacting Wasden's Consumer Protection Division to report suspicious text messages, purporting to be from Bank of the Cascades.

But Bank of the Cascades is not sending the messages, Wasden said.

"Bank of the Cascades does not contact customers by text messaging," bank president Mike Delvin said. "The criminals involved in this activity are sending messages to random cell phone numbers.  They do not know who is a customer of the bank and who is not. None of the bank's security systems have been breached and, as long as the consumer has not responded, there is no danger to their account."

The text messages ask customers, as part of a "protection program," to call a telephone number "to verify your account info."

Consumers who call the telephone number reach a recorded message that asks them to enter their credit card number.

"Consumers should absolutely not call the telephone number contained in the text message," Wasden said. "This is nothing more than a phishing scam intended to trick you into giving out your credit card number so the thieves can steal your credit and your identity. You should never give your credit card number to a person who contacts you. It doesn't matter whether the contact is by phone, e-mail, text message or carrier pigeon, people who contact you and ask for your credit card number should not be trusted."

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning earlier this morning regarding the text messages, saying several people had also contacted their office.

The BBB has the text message on a few phones and can connect those contacted with other consumers who have received the text message.

Bank of the Cascades has set up a warning on their Web site to assist consumers who get these types of text messages and emails.