That knock may be from scammer, not U.S. Census

The New Year brings a new U.S. Census, which means that tens of thousands of census workers will pour into neighborhoods across the country.

But beware, consumer watchdogs warn: scam artists may pose as official data gatherers and try to con unsuspecting residents out of sensitive financial information.

The U.S. Census is no small matter for states and local communities. The demographic data, collected once every 10 years, determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

It also factors critically into the designation of state, local legislative and congressional boundaries. Federal law requires households to respond to the government's request for census information.

That data factors into formulas for distributing federal money for critical services such as K-12 education. States and local communities receive more than $400 billion each year, based at least partly on census information. It also plays an important role in businesses' and governments' decisions on where to locate stores, schools, hospitals and other community resources.

About 140 million U.S. households will receive a census questionnaire in the mail in March, either by U.S. mail or hand delivery. Households that fail to return their questionnaires promptly may receive another one in April. Between May 10 and July 10, census workers will personally visit households that do not return questionnaires, in order to take a count.

So, what if you live in a conventional neighborhood, and someone claiming to be a census worker shows up at your door earlier in the year. Is it a scam?

Not necessarily, said Manuel Landivar, assistant regional census manager at the Regional Census Center in Atlanta, which oversees operations in Florida. Census workers may pay early visits to special locations, for example, homeless shelters and military bases, he said.

As well, he said, Census 2010 is not the only reason for workers to appear in communities. The agency also conducts specialized, in-depth surveys throughout the year on issues such as health and crime.

"We are the only data and statistical data gatherer for the U.S. government," Landivar said. "Any time you hear reports about employment, about the crime index, the consumer price index - all of that is gathered by the Census Bureau. In the metro Tampa region, we probably contact 600 to 800 housing units every month for these surveys."

All census workers carry identification with them and will readily produce it upon request - along with a telephone number that a resident can call on-the-spot to verify that a visit is legitimate, Landivar said. Be wary of anyone claiming to be a census worker who won't show you this information.

A census worker may also contact you by phone - but never by e-mail, as the Better Business Bureau noted in a recent consumer alert: "be on the lookout for e-mail scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau."

Law enforcement in several states has already reported scammers posing as Census workers, knocking on doors and asking for money or Social Security numbers.

"Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census," the Better Business Bureau warns. "While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations."