HOUSTON -- It's a scam disguised as a court summons. Now, viewers are asking KPRC Local 2 investigative reporter Amy Davis about suspicious phone calls from the court clerk's office.

Davis said it's not a new scam. She first reported on it in 2005.

But, apparently, people are still falling for it because the con artists are still at it.

Jury duty is your responsibility. Failure to show up could actually lead to a warrant for your arrest.

Now, the FBI says scammers are using that threat to get your personal information.

Here's how it works.

The phone rings. The caller claims to be an officer of the court. The message is: "You failed to show up for jury duty."

When you say you never received notice, he says he'll just need some information for "verification purposes."

The scammer will want your birth date, Social Security number and maybe even a credit card number.

Hang up the phone.

Communities in more than a dozen states have been hit. The caller will take your personal information and use it to steal your identity.

The FBI says court officers will never ask for confidential information over the phone.

They generally correspond with prospective jurors via the U.S. Postal Service.