An elaborate scheme seeking to trick people into providing sensitive information about their bank accounts over the telephone resurfaced on the Vineyard this past week. Reports indicate several Islanders received automated phone calls on Sunday and Monday telling them there was a problem with their bank account.

The automated voice identifies itself as a representative for the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank and asks the person to provide a debit card number, expiration date and personal identification number (PIN). Early reports indicate the scam was unsuccessful.

Richard Leonard, chief operating officer for the savings bank, said on Wednesday that to his knowledge none of his bank’s customers had provided their information over the phone or lost money from their accounts. Mr. Leonard said the phone calls were similar to a rash of calls made in October.

The call originates from an unknown source off-Island and is a form of fraud known as phishing, which seeks to acquire sensitive information from someone by masquerading as a trustworthy entity through electronic communication.

The scam, which has become widespread across the country in recent years, works by systematically calling numbers within a particular area code, with the hope the person who answers the phone will have an account with a given local bank or financial institution.

Mr. Leonard said most Islanders are now aware of the scam. “Fortunately, in this technological-oriented society most people know about these types of scam . . . people have become savvy at sniffing these things out,” he said.

He said bank officials never contact customers by phone or e-mail to request personal account information, and he warned that people should never give out personal financial information on the telephone or by e-mail.

An alert is posted on the Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank Web site (mvbank.com).

Mr. Leonard said the scammers use a sophisticated system which blocks caller ID or shows that the calls were made from various part of the country. This means the calls cannot be traced.