Census

Phase One of the 2010 Census wrapped up on April 1st with the final receipt of mail-in forms. Phase Two is set to begin on May 1st, with nearly 700,000 temporary census workers across the United States going door-to-door in an attempt to collect Data on the 28% of American households whose mail-in forms were not received by the deadline. The second phase of the census could open the door for potential scammers to pose as census data collectors and go door-to-door "phishing" for your private information.

How to recognize a REAL census worker:

• Census workers will show up by themselves, wearing a clearly marked identification badge (containing their name and photo, a Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date). Each Census worker will be issued a briefcase clearly marked with the 2010 Census Logo.

• Census workers are trained to ask only the 10 questions of the official census form. An official Census worker will never ask you for your full social security, a cash donation, passwords, pin codes, or bank account information.

• The Census worker will fill out the official Census form with you in person.

• Census workers are trained to respond to households where English is a second language by asking you to identify the primary language of the household. They will then leave, and someone fluent in the primary language will return to complete the census information in the primary language.

• A Census worker will never ask to enter your home.

• The Census Bureau does not conduct any of its research via email. If you receive an email regarding the Census, do not open any attachments.

• If you completed and sent the mail-in form prior to the April 16th deadline then you should not receive a visit in Phase Two.

• You should receive a mailing notifying you that in the next couple of days you will be visited by a Census worker. If you receive a visit from a Census worker but did not receive a mailing from the Census Bureau verify the visitor's identity before providing any information.

• If you are unsure if the visitor at your door is legitimate, call the Census Bureau at 1-800-562-5721 to verify. You can also ask the visitor for the local office's phone number and supervisor's name for extra security.

• If the ‘Census Worker' at your door does not adhere to the above code, don't talk to them and contact your local Census Bureau office.

You think you've verified that the Census Worker at your door is real. Now what?

• Never invite the Census worker inside your home. Step outside to talk to them, closing the door behind you.

• If you must go inside, for any reason during your Census visit, close and lock the door behind you, leaving the Census worker outside. It isn't rude, it's safe.

• Do not offer the Census worker any information not explicitly asked for on the Census form.

• Do not suggest to the Census worker that you are home alone. Always suggest that there is someone else in the house. If you live alone, pretend you have a friend over.