| Census Survey Scam Alert |
| By Credit Federal |
Published
03/28/2010
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Fraud and Scams
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Prevent your personal information from falling into the hands of a scammer
With the US census ongoing, this is yet another open door for scammers to knock on. Don't let them fool you into giving them your personal information, credit card number, banking data or granting them access into your home to commit a crime.
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Census survey scam methods to watch out for:
*Phishing fraud: A phishing scam typically uses a phony email to collect your personal or financial information under false pretenses. With phishing, you'll receive an official-looking email 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.
*Fake census survey: You might receive a fake census questionnaire in the mail that requests your personal financial information. If you're unsure if the survey received is legit or not, visit the U.S. Census Bureau Web site and compare your survey with the official one online.
*Phony census phone call: If someone calls you claiming to be from the Census Bureau and asks you to divulge personal financial information, consider it a scam... even if the Caller ID says Census Bureau or a similar name. Scammers have the ability to make the caller ID appear to be legit. Only in very rare instances will a census worker call to clarify information you've already submitted.
*A personal visit from a so-called survey member: Starting May 1st, census takers will visit the homes of people who did not send in their completed survey. Census officials may visit some homes more than once as the program conducts quality control checks.
But a scammer may also knock on your door and claim to be a census worker. He may ask for money to pay for the 2010 census, such as a donation, or he may ask for personal information, or he may simply want to get inside your home to steal or to commit some other crime. To make sure you're talking to a true 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. If you're still not sure, there are numbers on the census Web site to call to confirm that the visit is legitimate. 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. A census worker who comes to your door should ask you only the questions that are on the survey.
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