PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Thousands of credit card numbers may have been stolen from the state’s Web site by hackers, a state official said Friday.

The private company that runs the Web site, New England Interactive, first told the state last month that there had been a security breach at RI.gov, Department of Administration Director Beverly Najarian said.

This week, the company said up to 4,000 credit card numbers may have been taken. All online transactions were suspended until any possible security holes could be closed, Najarian said.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the online transactions were suspended. Najarian said she was unsure when the hacking happened or how often the perpetrators penetrated the site’s security.

The security breach came to light after a Web site in Russian boasted of the theft and claimed to have obtained 53,000 credit card numbers from the government Web site.

Steven O’Donnell, spokesman for the Rhode Island State Police, said a computer crimes team was investigating.

Thomas Viall, the Web site’s general manager, would not grant an interview to The Associated Press and did not immediately respond to questions submitted by e-mail.

But he told The Providence Journal that the Web site was breached on Dec. 28, and far fewer than 53,000 numbers were stolen.

He said the company notified credit card companies of the breach, but did not notify card holders.

The company’s Web site said Friday morning that it also does business for state governments in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Erin Hutchins, who manages the Maine government’s site, said there have been no reports of hacking. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department spokeswoman Liza Poinier said New England Interactive hasn’t handled the transactions on its Web site for about 18 months.

Officials at Vermont’s Department of Information and Innovation did not immediately return a call for comment.

The Rhode Island Web site allows residents to complete dozens of transactions online, including registering cars or buying state permits.