WCBSTV reports: Today is the deadline to get your 2010 census forms in, but there are forms out there that may not be legit.
In one nationwide scam, would-be identity thieves have sent out phony census forms. Investigators say they’ve switched out the real ones with the fake ones so you don’t know you’ve been scammed until it’s too late.
“What’s happening, it’s a mimic, a mock of our form,” said Sidna Madden, a census office manager in Oklahoma. “The Social Security number is the biggest red flag that’s out there.”
The real paperwork comes on a color background with ten questions and will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account information, or signature.
Experts say it’s the hallmark of a really good scam – taking a little bit of the truth, tangling it up with a little confusion, and seeing if someone will hand over valuable information.
The majority of scams that people fall for now come via computer, as does the latest census scam.
The first thing to know about this scam is that you cannot fill out the census online. Delete any e-mail that’s masquerading as being from the government. Definitely do not click any of the links since that can infect your computer with a virus.
If a census worker knocks on your door, insist on seeing a badge and a second form of identification. The badge will have an expiration date and a seal from the Department of Commerce.
Phony census forms are also asking for bank accounts, credit card information, usernames, and passwords. Never give that information out.
No census form asks for a donation or sends a request on behalf of a political party.
If you think you were scammed or want to confirm whether a census-taker is legitimate, click here to find your local census office to confirm or report any fraudulent activity.
(Source: http://wcbstv.com/)
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3 Responses
I think I’m not the only one that has had his census form filed in the ‘put-away-till-after-Pesach’ pile!
Can we file it next week when we get that stuff out again?
I didn’t receive one in the mail PERIOD! Since, as #1 describes it, the put-off-till-after-Pesach syndrome certainly reigns supreme in many of our households, as it did by me too, I expected to tend to it after Yom Tov! Perhaps Dov Hikind can help! lol
Seriously, I expected that if I miss the deadline, I would get, as they called it, a knock at the door by a Census inspector!
The date of return of the US Census forms is NOT April 1st, it’s April 15th. Send you forms in before then.