Census Fraud

Its census time and identity thieves love it.

By now you should have received your 2010 census form in the mail and the Census Bureau is urging you to fill it out but another agency is urging you to beware. According to bankrate.com the Better Business Bureau says consumers need to be on guard for online and in-person census fraud. The correct census form from the government involves ten questions regarding your housing situation. It should not ask any questions regarding your financial information.

Better Business Bureau spokeswoman Alison Southwick says people should be wary of any emails, knocks on the door and phone calls from anyone claiming to be from the census bureau who asks for financial information. To help you out they have uncovered the four most common scams being used by identity thieves and how you can avoid them. To find out how to protect yourself keep reading. The government may be quick to spend your hard earned tax money, but that doesn’t mean others should figure out how to spend what money you have left.

Here are four ways that scammers may try to deceive you, and what you should do:
1. Phishing fraud
A phishing scam typically uses a phony e-mail to collect your personal or financial information under false pretenses.

In this case, you'll receive an official-looking e-mail saying you didn't fill out the census survey correctly and asking for your Social Security number or bank account information or computer user names and passwords, Kresse says.

What you should do: You can't file online, and no one should receive official e-mails for the 2010 survey. If you do, don't respond, says Eun Kim, a Census Bureau spokeswoman.

2. Fake census survey
You could receive a fake 2010 census questionnaire in the mail that requests your personal financial information.

What you should do: Visit the U.S. Census Bureau Web site and compare your survey with the official one online. If your survey doesn't match the 2010 census survey, toss it, Kresse says.

3. The phony census call
If someone calls you claiming to be from the Census Bureau and asks you to divulge personal financial information, it's a scam. In rare instances, a census worker may call to clarify information you've submitted, according to the bureau Web site.

In addition, fraudsters now have devices that can make caller ID come up "U.S. census" or a similar identifier, Kresse says. That would make the call that much more credible.

What you should do: Don't give out financial information over the phone.
"Consider it a big, bright red flag if someone says they represent the census and asks you for delicate financial information," Southwick says.

4. A census visit in person
If people don't mail back their forms, census takers will visit their homes to fill out the questionnaire in person, starting May 1, according to the Census Bureau's Web site. Census officials may visit some homes more than once as the program conducts quality-control checks.

To make sure you're talking to a census worker, ask to see his official government badge with his name and a Department of Commerce watermark. Then, ask for a second picture ID for confirmation, the census Web site says. If you're still not sure, there are numbers on the census Web site to call to confirm that the visit is legitimate.

Be aware, it may not be a con artist who wants your money. "There will be rogue census workers who will use their position to ask for your Social Security number or a fee," Kresse says. Although the Census Bureau does background checks, these workers are likely new to the scam game and have no record.
What you should do: "If you're suspicious or don't feel safe, close the door and call the census phone number to verify that person is an actual census worker," Kim says.

A census worker who comes to your door should ask you only the questions that are on the survey.
Kim says the best way to avoid problems is to educate yourself about the process by checking out the Census Bureau Web site and to mail back your 10-question survey as soon as possible.
"Our site has the actual form and the questions we are asking, plus a link to questions you may have," Kim says.