Avoiding Census Scams

The 2010 Census will begin in March. The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. Census data is extremely important, but it’s also important to be cautious – criminals may take the opportunity to pose as Census workers and collect personal information to be used in fraud and identity theft.

Resources available on sites such as LawHelp (www.LawHelp.org), a national legal information portal, can help citizens distinguish between actual Census workers and crooks.

It’s important to participate in the Census, which helps determine how federal funding gets distributed throughout the country for hospitals, job training, schools, public works projects, etc. Census data also determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. The information collected is 100% confidential and is not shared with any other agency or organization.

The Census is conducted via mail, with forms distributed to every household in America. Census takers will follow up in person with households that do not respond. Below are some tips from www.LawHelp.org for determining if someone claiming to be a Census taker is legitimate:

• Census takers may contact you by phone, mail or in person. They will never use e-mail or ask you to submit information online.
• Census takers will have a badge.
• Census takers will never ask for a Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number.

In addition to www.LawHelp.org, you can find information about the Census on its official website, http://2010.census.gov. If you think you have had information stolen, you can find information about what steps to take on www.LawHelp.org or on the website of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft.