Beware of Census Scams

3/30/2010 3:00pm

The U.S. Census Bureau uses a workforce of trained federal employees to conduct the U.S. Census survey; however, the Census Bureau cannot stop or warn against all bogus or false collections of data. Here are some tips issued by the state of Michigan’s Intelligence Operations Center to help protect your personal information.

• Do not give out your full social security number, bank account number, credit card number, usernames or passwords.
• Do not respond to the U.S. Census via the internet.
• The U.S. Census will not send you an e-mail regarding participating in the Census.
• The U.S. Census will not ask for donations.
• The U.S. Census will not send requests on behalf of a political party.
• If a U.S. Census worker comes to your home, ask to see a valid ID badge.

If you receive a U.S. Census e-mail and suspect it may be bogus, do not reply or click on any link or open attachments. Forward the e-mail to ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov then delete the e-mail.

Please feel free to share this information with family and friends to assist them with determining the validity of Census requests.

Information from the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging

For more information on the U.S. Census in Michigan, visit, www.michigan.gov/census2010

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Snowbirds and the US Census

1/20/2010 3:00pm

Older adults who travel south for the winter months can fill out census forms when they return to Michigan. Submitting the document with a southern address could cost their home state millions in federal dollars.

“We are encouraging older adults to fill out their forms at home in Michigan,” says Tom Czerwinski, Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan. “It is a situation that could be very costly for Michigan’s senior services; potentially reducing funding at a time when state dollars are decreasing and the older adult population is increasing.”

The census information is set to be distributed in February and March, when many snowbirds are already at their southern addresses. The form asks individuals to identify who is living at their address on April 1, 2010. Simply write “usual residence elsewhere” on the document and return it without completing the information. 

Those who live in Michigan for six months or more will have a form mailed to their Michigan address.  They can fill out that form when they return to their northern home.

Upcoming federal funding to state and local entities will be based on the 2010 census. If snowbirds are not counted it would costs the state millions in federal funding for senior services.

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