The 2010 Census and Identity Theft

The 2010 census is getting nearer and with it the danger of identity theft. Census forms will be mailed or delivered to households during March 2010 and they should be filled in and mailed back by the 1st of April 2010, which is National Census Day. Between April and July 2010 Census takers will visit households that did not return a form by mail.

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the USA and is required to take place every 10 years by the Constitution. The main reason for the census is to gather demographical data so that federal funds, amounting to over $400 billion a year, can be allocated to help communities fund hospitals, schools, and other projects.

Census workers are already out to confirm addresses and in a few months there will be more than 140,000 workers gathering information. With identity theft so prevalent nowadays, it is important that you protect yourself by giving out only the information that is included in the census.

In fact you will only be asked for such information as; how many people stayed in the house on the 1st of April, how many additional people were staying on that day, is the house owned or rented, telephone number, full name, sex, age and date of birth, and race.

Under no circumstances do you need to provide your Social Security number, credit card or banking information, even if they allege that it is needed for the U.S. Census. It is possible that the Census Bureau could ask for basic financial details, such as a household salary range, it will never ask for Social Security, credit card, or bank account numbers. The service is free so you will never be asked to pay a fee or make a donation.

Remember that you will receive a questionnaire in the mail but if you do not reply you will be visited by a census worker. You should first make sure of the census workers credentials; they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Make sure to ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. For your peace of mind, all Census Bureau workers take the “oath of nondisclosure” and are sworn for life to protect the privacy of the data they collect. The Census Bureau cannot even share householders’ data with anyone by law, and that includes the IRS, FBI, or any other government agency.

After the censor workers door-to-door visits they might next contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, they will never contact you by e-mail, so be on the lookout for e-mail scams pretending to be from the Census Bureau. If you receive such an e-mail you should never click on a link or open any attachments in the e-mail.

So that you understand identity theft protection, here is a quick summary of what it entails. Identity theft can occur when your personal information (personally identifying information such as your Social Security number) is accessed by someone without your express permission. When thieves take that personal information that was illegally acquired and use it for their own financial gains it is called identity fraud. With your personal information they can create false bank accounts or take out credit cards in your name, empty your bank account or max out your credit cards, or attempt to obtain services such as healthcare or employment.

On the other hand, financial fraud is a term used when the perpetrator has taken over your name in the sense that they possess a social security card, birth certificate, or drivers license in your name but they have not yet committed any financial fraud, like taking out credit cards or opening bank accounts in your name.