CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Scammers are targeting hotel guests across the state by calling rooms asking for credit card information, state Attorney General Darrell McGraw warns.

The scammers tell the guests their credit card information wasn't processed correctly and is needed again to fix the problem. The guests give out the information believing they're talking to the hotel's front desk, said McGraw in a news release.

This scam has been reported several times to McGraw's office and in surrounding states, he said. Prison inmates have been linked to similar scams in Alabama with smuggled cell phones.

McGraw encourages travelers to never give out personal information over the telephone and to instead seek the hotel's front desk to address any problem.

Any victim of this scam is asked to report it by calling the state's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-368-8808.