ROME, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Italian authorities warned a new model of pistol no larger than a credit card might be put on sale in Italy, according to Italian media on Tuesday.

The weapon was about 8.57 cm in length, 5.4 cm in height, and 1.27 cm thick, Ansa news agency reported citing a police report.

The warning came from the Interior Ministry's department of public security, which confirmed to Xinhua the circular was issued to all police headquarters on Dec. 9.

The notice urged police forces to keep an eye on the possible sales of the weapon in the country, and "to supply information on its possible movements or seizures."

So far, there were no signs the small weapon has been sold in Italy, the public security department told Xinhua. "The weapon is a single-shot .22 long handgun... and, when folded, it has a size similar to a credit card or a thin wallet," the circular warned.

"Due to its specific features, the foldable pistol does not look like a weapon, and can be carried around with absolute discretion," it also stated.

The public security department further warned that inscriptions such as name, calibre, and producer could "easily be erased or covered in order to disguise it as a small electronic device."

Such characteristics, and the fact that it could easily pass through security and anti-terrorism checks, put law enforcement authorities on alert.

A pistol of such size is indeed being produced by at least a U.S. firm, and distributed on the U.S. and other markets in 2017, according to the company's website.