This alert is worth passing along - Montana Owners Club

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 01:19 AM

NEW SCAM ALERT

Type: U.S. Census Scam

Method of Delivery: In Person

Primary Region Effected: All Regions (National)

Source: Better Business Bureau (www.BBB.org)

Scam Characteristics:
Beginning March of this year the U.S. Census Bureau's will send out a short questionnaire to every household in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in an effort to collect important demographic data. As a citizen, you are required by law to respond to the 10 short questions. From April to July, those that haven't completed their census will receive a visit at their home address from a census taker..

Identity criminals are taking advantage of the census law and targeting unsuspecting victims in an attempt to steal sensitive information. The scams perpetrated range from fraudulent emails designed to obtain sensitive information to attempts to impersonate census collectors.

Most Citizens don't think twice about sharing personal information with a census worker, and that's why these scams can be very effective. It's important to remember there are distinct differences between a real census worker and an identity thief posing as a census worker.

U.S. Census workers will have identification, a handheld device and a confidentiality notice. But these things can be easily fabricated, so it's important to know what census workers will not do:

•They will not ask for your Social Security number or financial information, e.g. bank or credit card accounts.

•They will not ask you for money or say that you owe money.

•They will not harass or intimidate you.

•They will not contact you by email- only by phone, by mail, or in person.

For more information on this scam or variations of it visit the Social Security Administration’s website at www.ssa.gov. Use the search function and enter keywords "email scam".

It is recommended that you follow universal safety rules-- even with U.S. Census workers. For example, avoid inviting strangers into your home, and be suspicious when someone asks for your personal and sensitive information.

To learn more about the 2010 Census and U.S. Census workers, call (800) 923-8282 or visit them online at www.2010census.gov.

ALERT #: 201001-4

radioattic · 03-04-2010, 03:31 AM

If you want to know what questions they will ask you (and which you are required by law to answer), click here. The days that you were only required to tell them how many people are in your household are gone. This is a link to the US Census site.

P.S. These are the ONLY questions door-to-door census people are allowed to ask you.

Penalty for not answering the questions? Up to $100. For giving false answers? Up to $500.

I have it on good authority that you may NOT enter "Jedi" for nationality.

PapaBeav · 03-04-2010, 03:39 AM

Those questions are unconstitutional, and I will only answer question number one.

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 03:49 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by PapaBeav

Those questions are unconstitutional, and I will only answer question number one.

I'm with you, Butt out big brother...

Leaseit · 03-04-2010, 04:06 AM

Gosh i hope one of those people show up at my house. Being in the rental/property business you run into all kinds of scammers/crazys' and no matter how you try, sometimes things are not what they seem to be.
So; To the guy that moved out in the middle of the night, took the refrigerator, dishwasher, stove and trashed the place, when the scam census taker showes up, i'm going to give him that guys Name, SS number, credit card numbers and date of birth.
Gosh revenge can be sweet sometimes.
Randy
na i would not really do that, but on the other hand............

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 04:12 AM

Add the guy's information that stole the materials out of the back of my truck, when I was in Lowe's for the 10 minutes it took to get materials for another job.
I got to the first job...no materials, had to go back and get them.
Would like to catch one of these low life's sometimes, nothing worse than a thief.

steves · 03-04-2010, 04:41 AM

I will not answer all these questions and I would think any fine would be unconstitutional.

radioattic · 03-04-2010, 05:08 AM

I don't like it either, but I'm going to choose a different battle and save my ammunition until the government comes for the guns and non-hybrid seeds myself...

Just so all of us potential lawbreakers are familiar with the law, here is the text of 13 USC 221 - Sec. 221 (a) & (b) (January 2004):

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100. (b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

PapaBeav · 03-04-2010, 05:21 AM

I guess I will pay the fine then. This kind of government intrusion has got to stop.

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 05:36 AM

Rich, the last time they came her on the Census, we didn't fill out anything but our names and address. The lady came around twice, I ask her what will happen, as I wouldn't fill out anything but we are two and this is our address. She said probably nothing.
Nothing happened...

kerry · 03-04-2010, 12:33 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsDhkPym01k

WATCH THIS

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 12:42 PM

Very good Kerry

sreigle · 03-04-2010, 12:57 PM

I guess I'm missing something.

Ozz started this thread with information about a scam masquerading as census taking. That scam I would have a problem with, sure.

Someone else posted a link that shows the actual questions asked in the legitimate census. Those questions include name, birthdate, gender, relationship to the other people in the household, but nothing about income, spending patterns, etc., nor do they ask for social security number or any other personal information.

So what's the big deal? Knowing age groups of a state's residents is important. Federal funds are doled out, in some cases, based on that information, aren't they? I don't have a problem with those questions.

So am I missing something?

By the way, I guess I'll get our census form by mail since we will not be in our state of legal residence any time this year?

Ozz · 03-04-2010, 01:12 PM

I asked Sue what I was missing, the video had questions about more intrusive information than the example on how many people lived in a house. It's a federal census, so the questionnaires would be the same.

radioattic · 03-04-2010, 01:13 PM

The video is talking about the American Community Survey (ACS), which is not the same as the 2010 census. The 2010 census ONLY asks the questions in the document I linked to earlier. The ACS, on the other hand, is VERY intrusive at something like 26 pages long, and is very likely unconstitutional. I think it's a result of all the brouhaha following the 2000 survey, in which most if not all of the questions now in the ACS were in the 2000 survey questionnaire. Sadly, no one in the government has taken a serious position about getting rid of it.

The ACLU says they are working on it, but in reality they are probably too busy getting ready for the Khalid Sheik Mohammad trial.

Lest anyone accuse me of supporting government intrusion in our personal lives

, I just agree with Steve in that moving to the subject of the ACS is getting OT from the original post. Egad, I'm talking like a moderator! Stop meeeeeee....

radioattic · 03-04-2010, 01:23 PM

Oh, heck, if we're going OT, here's a link to a doormat being sold at Amazon.com.

PapaBeav · 03-04-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

I guess I'm missing something.

Ozz started this thread with information about a scam masquerading as census taking. That scam I would have a problem with, sure.

Someone else posted a link that shows the actual questions asked in the legitimate census. Those questions include name, birthdate, gender, relationship to the other people in the household, but nothing about income, spending patterns, etc., nor do they ask for social security number or any other personal information.

So what's the big deal? Knowing age groups of a state's residents is important. Federal funds are doled out, in some cases, based on that information, aren't they? I don't have a problem with those questions.

So am I missing something?

By the way, I guess I'll get our census form by mail since we will not be in our state of legal residence any time this year?

If you want to give them all of your personal information, by all means go ahead. But the are not getting it from me.

RVWheels · 03-04-2010, 03:51 PM

MOC members please keep this thread on topic. The OP thread was a warning about possible Census scams! It was not about the politics of the Census. Please adhere to the topic. Scams hurt us all. Thanks to OZZ for alerting us to this type thing.

Thank you,
RVWheels

radioattic · 03-04-2010, 05:37 PM

Busted, all you bad posters (I told you the mods were coming)!

Seriously, I'd go one step further: no one gets inside the stick house unless I know them already. A lot of times these dirtbags work in pairs; if there's nothing worth stealing in plain view, or if there's more than one old lady in the house, the dirtbag leaves quickly. Otherwise, the dirtbag's "assistant" rings the bell a few minutes later, knocks the old lady over the head and steals all the goodies.

And I posted the official form so you would know what the door-to-door government toadies were authorized to ask. If they ask anything else, usher them out and call the police.

I've found out that when I answer the door with the Mossberg casually leaning on my shoulder, no one ever wants to stay for a visit...

sreigle · 03-08-2010, 06:46 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by PapaBeav

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

I guess I'm missing something.

Ozz started this thread with information about a scam masquerading as census taking. That scam I would have a problem with, sure.

Someone else posted a link that shows the actual questions asked in the legitimate census. Those questions include name, birthdate, gender, relationship to the other people in the household, but nothing about income, spending patterns, etc., nor do they ask for social security number or any other personal information.

So what's the big deal? Knowing age groups of a state's residents is important. Federal funds are doled out, in some cases, based on that information, aren't they? I don't have a problem with those questions.

So am I missing something?

By the way, I guess I'll get our census form by mail since we will not be in our state of legal residence any time this year?

If you want to give them all of your personal information, by all means go ahead. But the are not getting it from me.

I think maybe you misunderstood what I said. I did not say anything about giving them all my personal information. In fact I said I'd have a problem with that. What I said is that the census questionnaire the link points to only asks for name, address, gender, relationship to others in the home, and things like that. Nothing about salary or other personal info. And I said I'd have no problem with that. I would, however, have big problems with that other survey that does ask lots of personal information.

You may also like: