Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona has verified that the Census Bureau has started calling some households to clarify information about the number of people living at the addresses.

The calls started on April 11, and are scheduled to be made through mid August, a Census Bureau official told BBB. If a consumer receives a call from someone claiming they’re with the Census Bureau, they can call 866-851-2010 to make sure the call was legitimate.

As was the case with the Census mailing, and door-to-door data gathering, the Census Bureau will not ask for your social security number, bank information, or any sensitive personal information if they call you.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Census Bureau and they ask for any personal information hang-up immediately and report the call to BBB by calling (520)888-5353 or by visiting http://www.tucson.bbb.org.

As you may have noticed if you read this blog, the 2010 Census is underway and many consumers are wondering whom they can trust. The Census is easy, important, and safe — just fill out your form and mail it back.

The IC3 and Better Business Bureau, a 2010 Census partner, are encouraging participation in the 2010 Census while cautioning consumers to get the facts:

• 2010 Census takers will never contact you by e-mail or solicit for donations.
  • Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail or text messages; including clicking on links and/or opening attachments contained within.
  • Criminals often capitalize on legitimate campaigns to spread computer viruses through e-mails, text messages, “pop-ups,” fraudulent Web sites, or infected legitimate Web sites. The viruses are embedded in an attachment (including pictures), link, and/or computer application. This also applies to tactics used in social networking sites. Remember, not all anti-virus software detects every virus, especially if the virus is newly created.

• Visit 2010.census.gov for official information on the 2010 Census.
  • Beware of groups using a similar name to a reputable agency, especially through Web sites. Rather than following a purported link to the Web site, log on directly to the official Web site for the business identified in the e-mail and/or text. Web sites can be verified by utilizing various Internet-based resources to confirm their status and to obtain feedback.

• 2010 Census takers will not ask you for your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as your social security account number (SSAN), driver’s license number, bank account number, or credit card number.
  • Do not provide this type of information to anyone claiming to be a 2010 Census taker.
  • Please be aware, the Census Bureau does ask for the last four digits of the respondent’s SSAN for one survey: the National Health Interview Survey. This survey touches (more…)

In early April approximately 40 million households will receive the 10 question Census form for a SECOND TIME.  Typically, areas that had a low response rate in 2000 will be targeted for the second mailing. This means there is a strong likelihood that Southern Arizona consumers living in areas that had a low response rate in 2000 will receive an additional form, even if they have already filled out and sent in the first Census sheet they received.

What should consumers do if they receive a second form?

• Households that have already returned their form should ignore the second mailing.
• Households should only complete and return one form.  They may use either the first or the second form that they have received.
• The extra form should be discarded in a manner comfortable for the resident.  If for some reason two forms are returned for a housing unit, the Census Bureau has a process for unduplicating them.

The Census Bureau says they have found that by sending an additional form to low-response areas they’re able to increase response rates and reduce expensive door-to-door follow-ups.

Census Fraud Alert

There have been reports of bogus census forms and phony employees making the rounds requesting Social Security Numbers in both Oklahoma and Alabama.  As a reminder, the Census Bureau will never ask for a complete Social Security Number.

If you have received a suspicious form or visit from a supposed Census worker, please contact BBB by phone, (520)888-5353, or email info@tucson.bbb.org . Additionally, the former should be reported as mail fraud to the USPS and the latter to local law enforcement.
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