Beware of Census Phishing Scams

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Turbo Tax's blog posted my thoughts on the Dirty Dozen tax scams yesterday. Make sure if someone else does your taxes that you review it with them.

I mentioned that the IRS reports phishing scams is on their top list, but it's not only for taxes. With the 2010 Census operations going on, you have to be aware of the scams going around.

Census Scams

Every 10 years, we have the Census taken in the United States. Everyone should be receiving their Census form in the mail. If you have the information handy, you can fill in the Census form as soon as you receive it and mail it back quickly. 

The Census Bureau never:

• Asks for your full social security number
• Asks for money or a donation
• Sends requests on behalf of a political party

Source: US Census

Reporting Census Scams

There are ways to make sure you are not being scammed by someone falsely portraying themselves as a Census employee if they come to your door.
Census employees who come to your door should have a valid Census ID badge. They have been trained and instructed to complete the survey at your doorstep. Do not invite them inside! If you're not sure if they are a Census employee, call your regional office to verify.

Email Scams

If you receive an email directing your to fill your Census information online, it is a scam. The US Census does not request or send sensitive information through email.

• Don't open any attachments or click any links with a suspicious email.
• Don't reply to any email you are suspcious of; instead you can forward the email to the US Census Bureau at ITSO.Fraud.Reporting@census.gov.
• After you forward the email to us, delete the message.

Mail Scams

If you want to make sure you received a valid Census form, go to the official Census site to see what the form should look like.
Being cautious is part of our responsibility with the con artists and scammers that are around. Make sure you contact the official sites and offices to keep you from being a victim.

Photo Credit: gruntzooki