The FBI has warned that an ongoing "Jury Duty Scam" has been reported in a number of states. Someone calls you and says you have failed to report for jury duty and a warrant was issued for your arrest. You protest that you never received a notice for jury duty. The caller offers to "clear this up" if you'd be willing to provide some information for verification purposes.

Hang up. This is an identity thief, who will ask as many questions as you are willing to answer. He or she will want your birth date, social security number, and maybe even a credit card number. Once they have that, this information will be used to steal from you and commit fraud.

The court system has all the information they need about you. The same holds true for the IRS, your bank, and insurance company. Do not trust a stranger that contacts you by e-mail, phone, or otherwise asking you to "confirm" what they should already know.

No one from Dovetail will ever call or e-mail you unexpectedly and ask for your personal information. You receive our services by calling us first. If you already a recipient of services, we should know who you are. Dovetail takes the security of your information extremely seriously. More about that here.

If you believe you have been a victim of an Internet fraud, you can learn more and file a complaint with the FBI here.

To learn more about protecting yourself against identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission's web site by clicking here.