Beware census scammers

PHOTO COURTESY U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
Just fill out the form — Don’t fall prey to scammers who may identify themselves as being from the census and send you an e-mail or otherwise contact you as part of an identity-theft scam. In March, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail out short questionnaires for the 2010 Census.

The real survey doesn’t begin until March

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Nov 17, 2009 - 10:37:50am

Questionnaires for the 2010 Census won’t be mailed out until March.

Already, though, warnings about online census scammers are crisscrossing cyberspace and finding their way into many e-mail inboxes.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, no one will receive a census questionnaire via e-mail. Do not respond to any e-mail questionnaire stating it is from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Neither will anyone call you to obtain information for the census. Do not provide any personal information over the phone.

In March 2010, census forms will be mailed to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. The U.S. Census Bureau asks, just answer the 10 short questions and return the form in the postage-paid envelope provided.

If you don’t return the form, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form. These representatives will not be in the field before April.

Field-census representatives will not ask to come inside your home; do not invite them in.

The 2010 Census form is short, with just 10 questions covering name, sex, age, date of birth, race, household relationship, and whether you own or rent.

Information collected is confidential, and used only to compile statistics.

You will not be asked your Social Security number, bank information or credit-card numbers. Nor will a census taker ask for any money or donations.

A U.S. Census Bureau spokeswoman said a census field worker will provide an ID badge with a photograph of the field representative, a Department of Commerce watermark, and expiration date.

The worker will also provide contact information for the supervisor and the regional office phone number for verification, if you ask for it. The worker will also be able to produce a letter from the director of the Census Bureau on official letterhead.

Why fill out the census?

The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years. So, it’s a patriotic duty.

More than that, the 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like hospitals, job-training centers, emergency services, schools, senior centers, and public-works projects like bridges and tunnels.

Census information affects the number of seats Florida occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Census data help workers advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers, and more.

In 1790, when the first census was taken, the population of the entire country was 3.93 million. The U.S. population is now estimated at around 308 million. The world population is close to 7 billion.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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