Callers asking census-related questions may not be scams

[Pat McCotter]

Callers asking census-related questions may not be scams
May 21, 2010 - 7:19pm
By Adam D. Young

Lubbock resident Grace Rogers was initially concerned a call claiming to be from the Census Bureau at 9 p.m. Thursday could be a scam.

She said the woman on the other end of the line wanted to ask her questions verifying information — such as the number of people living in her house — she'd submitted in her 2010 census form last month.

But, Rogers said, it was the caller's claim every American in the country would receive such a call that was suspicious, and she didn't initially provide her information. Instead, the caller gave her a case number and told her to call a toll-free Census Bureau hot line to confirm the call was authentic.

"I just thought it was a strange thing they were doing," Rogers said.

Rogers, who Friday called the Census Bureau and confirmed the call was legitimate, is among countless Americans who have called the agency seeking confirmation that a census-related call or door-to-door visit is legitimate, said Bill Bowen, a Dallas-based regional spokesman for the Census Bureau.

Bowen said millions — but not all — of Americans are being called or visited at home by census workers gathering unreturned census forms or confirming information residents have already sent back.

He said there are a number of reasons residents may be asked to provide information in a follow-up visit or call, including conflicting information, such as listing five people in the house but only providing four names and ages, or because a household may have sent in more than one census form.

"Or we just can't read their handwriting," Bowen said.

He said other Americans may receive a letter asking them to participate in the Census Bureau's year-round American Community Survey.

One out of 480 households each month is asked to participate in the survey, which asks questions focusing on the household's net worth, average commute time and employment status, among others.

"It's pretty extensive and involved," Bowen said.

Because some scams claiming to be census-related have been reported around the country, Bowen said, residents should realize census workers or questionnaires will never ask for a person's Social Security number or bank account numbers.

He urged residents to call the bureau's worker verification hot line at 1 (800) 563-6499 to verify if a census worker or call is legitimate.

Though her census call was not a scam, Rogers said she's glad she sought confirmation because she wanted to protect the integrity of the census and save herself from being victimized by a scam artist.

"If I weren't concerned about the census as a retired government teacher I wouldn't have gone to the trouble," she said. "I'm concerned that census gets accurate information."

Information collected by the census is used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funding and helps lawmakers when determining legislative boundary lines.

The Census Bureau mailed forms to more than 130 million households beginning March 15, according to the bureau. It plans to send census collectors door to door through July to households that didn't return the forms by April 15.

Residents who receive mail exclusively through a post office box likely did not receive a census form through the mail and should receive an in-person visit from a census worker, according to the Census Bureau.

Personal information recorded in the census will not be made public for 72 years after each census. The bureau isn't required to release results from the count to the president until December and the states until March.