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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