How to Avoid U.S. Census Scams

The US Constitution mandates that each US resident be required by law to answer the census, which is conducted every ten years. Thomas Jefferson conducted the first census in 1790 and a census has been taken every ten years since. Census data affects the number of seats a state has in the US House of Representatives as well as how much of the now $400 billion in federal funds a state will receive for roads, hospitals, and the like.

The 2010 census is shorter than before at just ten questions: four general questions about the household and additional information such as the race, gender, and age of each person living in the household.

Make sure to mail the completed census form so that it arrives at the Census Bureau by Census Day, April 1, 2010; otherwise, you may receive a follow up visit by a census taker who will want your census information.

Identifying and Avoiding Census Scams

Census takers will only contact a household by mail, phone, or in person. Census data is never collected via e-mail or the Internet. If you receive an information request electronically, do not click any links or open any attachments and delete the e-mail immediately. Phishing (masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an e-mail to obtain personal information) is illegal. If you are so inclined, you can forward the e-mail or web site URL to the Census Bureau at ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov. Make sure you delete the e-mail after you forward it.

While the majority of census forms are mailed, census takers deliver census forms to about 10% of census recipients (12 million households) - generally those in rural areas or areas affected by natural disaster such as hurricane Katrina. The Census Bureau also wants a certain number of households to provide their data in person.

The Census Bureau must deliver census data to the President by December 31, 2010. Thus, if a census taker arrives at your door after that date you will meet a scammer.

A bona fide census taker will be polite and courteous (not intimidating or threatening) and will have a census related handheld device, a confidentiality agreement, and an identification badge. You may ask for another form of identification such as a drivers license to ensure the badge matches it. You may ask for the contact phone number for the census taker's supervisor. You can also contact the Census Bureau at 800-923-8282.

A census taker should not ask you for money or ask to come inside your home. A census taker will not ask for your social security number, credit card number, PIN, or any financial data. If you don't want to give your answers to the census taker, you can opt to complete the census form yourself and mail it to the Census Bureau.

To ensure a mail survey is legitimate, call your regional census office regarding mail surveys. For phone surveys contact the National Processing Center. You can get answers to other questions by going to the Census Bureau's Are You In a Survey? page.

Common sense and a healthy skepticism are your best tools against census scams or any scam.

Source:

http://www.census.gov/survey_participants/related_information/phishing_email_scams_bogus_census_web_sites.html