U.S. CENSUS – FRAUDS AND SCAMS

The following is condensed from “Fraudulent Activities and Scams” (http://www.census.gov/survey_participants/related_information
/phishing_email_scams_bogus_census_web_sites.html) posted on the U.S. Census Bureau website.

The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the 2010 Census surveys by mail, telephone and in-person interviews and works to protect the data collected from households and businesses. However, frauds and scams can be perpetrated on the public in order to obtain personal data for fraudulent purposes. The Census Bureau offers the following tips to help recognize fraudulent activity or unofficial data collections:

TYPES OF CENSUS SCAMS

• Being contacted by e-mail or through a website – Commonly known as “Phishing”, the practice uses e-mail to lure users into giving out sensitive information on a fake website made to look like a real government website. The Census Bureau does not conduct the Census on their website or send e-mails about participating in the Census.
• Being contacted in person or by phone by individuals posing as Census Bureau employees in order to obtain sensitive information such as passwords, Social Security numbers and PIN codes.

The Census Bureau emphasizes that they will never:

• Ask for full Social Security numbers
• Ask for money or donations
• Send requests on behalf of a political party
• Request PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

HOW TO REPORT CENSUS SCAMS

If you believe you have been contacted as part of bogus or fraudulent activity falsely representing the Census Bureau:

• In Person Scam
  • Check for a valid Census ID badge
  • Call a Census Bureau regional office (www.census.gov/regions/) to verify you are in a legitimate survey
• Email Scams
  • If you think it is a bogus email, do not reply or click on any links within the email.
  • Do not open any attachments. Attachments may contain code that could infect your computer
  • Forward the email or web site URL to the Census Bureau at ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov
  • After you forward the email, delete the message. You will not receive a confirmation email after forwarding the information. However, the Census Bureau will investigate the information and notify you of its findings.
• Mail Scams
  • Contact the United States Postal Inspection Service https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/MailFraud.aspx
• Phone Scams
  • Contact the Census Bureau National Processing Center (www.census.gov/npc/contactus.html) to verify phone surveys.

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SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau website
PREPARED BY: 211/pt
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: March2010