The RCMP is warning seafood vendors to be careful when taking orders over the phone after several complaints were received of people fraudulently buying Atlantic Canadian lobster.

Seafood vendors have been taken for thousands of dollars in the last week when people have ordered lobster and given false credit cards.

Two New Brunswick companies and one seafood vendor in Nova Scotia as well as Newfoundland and Labrador have been hit by the fraudulent calls.

RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound said the companies that were swindled had to take the loss themselves because they didn't properly verify the credit cards.

"They are provided with a credit card number, including the three-digit security number located on the back of the card and orders to the amounts of anywhere between $1,000 to $7,000 are being ordered for shipment delivery within British Columbia,” Pound said.

Pound said the suspect group have the three-digit security numbers but they don’t have the correct name and addresses of the card holders.

He said that when taking orders over the phone, businesses must get the name and billing address of the card holder.

That information can be confirmed with the bank, in order to ensure the card is legitimate.

Maurice Guimond said the Moncton Fish Market is not involved in the latest rash of fraud.

But Guimond said it has happened to the store in the past.

“We get our regular customers calling every year from Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec even Toronto, when you see one coming in that's kind of off a little bit ask as much questions as you can because you never know,” he said.