Beware of census scams, officials warn

Kathy Adams
February 11, 2010

VIRGINIA BEACH

Next month, millions of U.S. census surveys will appear in mailboxes throughout Hampton Roads and the nation, seeking information on every person living in the United States.

Already, local consumer affairs investigators are worried that con artists will capitalize on the census, using it as a front to scam people out of their personal information. They could mail or e-mail phony surveys, call, or even show up on doorsteps posing as census takers.

"This would be a great time for a scam artist to go get all sorts of information from people who think they're talking to a census worker when, in fact, they're not," said George Chandler, a consumer affairs investigator with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney's Office. That information could then be used to drain bank accounts, duplicate credit cards or commit identity theft, he said.

To help protect census takers and residents, the city's Consumer Affairs Program and the U.S. Census Bureau have provided the following tips:

-Do not invite strangers into your home.

-Census workers will have an identification badge and a phone number to confirm their employment. They do not carry computers, said Tammie McGee, a spokeswoman for the Census Bureau.

-The 2010 census survey has 10 questions. Social Security numbers, financial information, Medicaid numbers, credit card information and contributions will not be asked for.

-The census may be filled out on paper, in person at a "Be Counted" site or a questionnaire assistance center, or over the phone, McGee said. They cannot be filled out online or via e-mail.

For the most part, census takers will visit only the homes of those who do not mail in their forms, McGee said. They're due April 1.

Some households will also receive visits or phone calls to confirm information or ensure everyone's been reached, she said.

When census takers hit the streets between late April and late June, nearly 4,000 will blanket the Hampton Roads area. The census helps determine political representation and distribution of federal funds totaling more than $400 billion a year over the next decade, McGee said.

So far, no incidents of census fraud have been reported in the region, according to local police departments. A search of news reports nationwide did not reveal any census scams.

"This was kind of proactive," Chandler said of a fraud alert issued by the Consumer Affairs Program. "So, hopefully we'll have few, if any, calls from people saying that something terrible has happened and their personal information has gotten into the wrong hands."

Pilot researcher Maureen Watts contributed to this report.

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com
Memo: details

For more information on the 2010 census, visit www.2010 census.gov or call (800) 923-8282.

For information on census jobs, visit http://2010.census. gov/2010 censusjobs or call (866) 861-2010.

To verify the employment of a census taker, call their regional office:

Virginia Beach: (757) 263-3010

Chesapeake: (757) 292-2240

Newport News: (757) 273-1720

For more information on the 2010 Census, visit www.2010census.gov or call 1 (800) 923-8282.

For information on census jobs, visit http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs or call 1 (866) 861-2010.

To verify the employment of a census taker, call their regional office:

Virginia Beach: (757) 263-3010

Chesapeake: (757) 292-2240

Newport News: (757) 273-1720