Prudy
04-01-2010, 07:30 AM
Fake Census Forms Are Out To Steal Your Identity!
Your 2010 U.S. Census Form is due to be back in the mail today. Why the Census Bureau would pick April Fool’s Day for this, I have no clue (a few jokes, but no real clue). The bureau has run an aggressive campaign which started when they first sent the forms out in an effort to let everyone know that it is important to take 10 minutes to fill out your 10 question form and get it back ASAP!
However, they failed to inform us that there was a HUGE scam running congruent with the mailing of the Census forms in an effort to steal YOUR identity. It is not yet clear all the methods used to substitute the form, but it is a fact that it has been done. Some of the counterfeit forms were substituted right at your own mailbox by simply removing your official delivery and replacing it with the very well done, fake form.
If the form received by your household asked for your social security number, any bank account information AND/OR your signature, DO NOT fill it out OR mail it back and immediately contact the Census Office (http://www.census.gov/aboutus/contacts.html). The other identifiers you should look for are that the form has a colored background and exactly 10 questions. Several bogus forms have been in black and white only and contain three to nine questions.
If you have already mailed your Census form and you believe now that the form was not the real deal, immediately begin treating it as any other form of identity theft and contact the authorities, credit bureaus, your banking institutions and your credit cards. If you have not mailed your form back and you do have the genuine article, I would suggest you take the extra time to drop your Census information into a secured postal box rather than leaving it in an easily accessible box with the flag up, (which I recommend for ANY outgoing mail which contains any sensitive content).
The real Census affects the number of seats each state occupies in the House of Representatives and allows your area to receive the federal funding it deserves for things such as schools and roads. Not to mention that if everyone who receives a census form mailed it back, the government would save around $1.5 billion dollars in follow up visits.
Click Here for more Tips of the Day (http://www.yourgoodbuygirl.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
Your 2010 U.S. Census Form is due to be back in the mail today. Why the Census Bureau would pick April Fool’s Day for this, I have no clue (a few jokes, but no real clue). The bureau has run an aggressive campaign which started when they first sent the forms out in an effort to let everyone know that it is important to take 10 minutes to fill out your 10 question form and get it back ASAP!
However, they failed to inform us that there was a HUGE scam running congruent with the mailing of the Census forms in an effort to steal YOUR identity. It is not yet clear all the methods used to substitute the form, but it is a fact that it has been done. Some of the counterfeit forms were substituted right at your own mailbox by simply removing your official delivery and replacing it with the very well done, fake form.
If the form received by your household asked for your social security number, any bank account information AND/OR your signature, DO NOT fill it out OR mail it back and immediately contact the Census Office (http://www.census.gov/aboutus/contacts.html). The other identifiers you should look for are that the form has a colored background and exactly 10 questions. Several bogus forms have been in black and white only and contain three to nine questions.
If you have already mailed your Census form and you believe now that the form was not the real deal, immediately begin treating it as any other form of identity theft and contact the authorities, credit bureaus, your banking institutions and your credit cards. If you have not mailed your form back and you do have the genuine article, I would suggest you take the extra time to drop your Census information into a secured postal box rather than leaving it in an easily accessible box with the flag up, (which I recommend for ANY outgoing mail which contains any sensitive content).
The real Census affects the number of seats each state occupies in the House of Representatives and allows your area to receive the federal funding it deserves for things such as schools and roads. Not to mention that if everyone who receives a census form mailed it back, the government would save around $1.5 billion dollars in follow up visits.
Click Here for more Tips of the Day (http://www.yourgoodbuygirl.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2)