Beware of Census Scams

The Census is a prime opportunity for new scams intended to steal your identity.  So be on the lookout!

Census forms began going out in the mail on March 17, 2010 and folks should be getting the shortly (if you haven't already).  If you don't fill it out and mail it back, you will get a visit from government census takers sometime between April and August.

If you do get a visit from people claiming to be government census workers, be very cautious and don't assume they're who they say they are.  If you have the means to verify their identity, do so (by calling your local census office).

DO NOT fill in any forms (or give out) that ask you for your social security number or bank account info.  These are definitely fraudulent.

Census workers will NOT contact you via email either.  So ignore any emails you get claiming to be from the Census Beareau.

I'd also recommend NOT inviting any strangers (including those claiming to be  "government workers) into your home.  If you do get a legitimate visit from Census workers, step out side and close the door to answer their questions.  They don't need to be in your home and this just offers a bit of extra security in the event they're not who they say they are.

As always, just be aware and cautious when giving out personal information. Don't be a victim of a census scams!

Jury Duty Phone Scam

One of my clients alerted me to this Jury Dury Scam.  Here's how it works.  Folks get a call from a person who claims to be an officer of the court and informs you failed to show up for jury duty.  After telling him you never received a notice, he says he will need some personal information for verification (birthday, social security number, etc.).  He now can steal your identity.

We all tend to be trusting, especially with folks claiming to be from law enforcement agencies.  But if Hollywood has shown us nothing else, it's shown us that we can't trust everybody who claims to be from law enforcement really is.

ANYTIME somebody asks you for personal information on the phone, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM.  Hang up the phone and call the agency in question yourself and ask if they were trying to contact you.  If you're able to extract information from the caller (like their name, phone number, where they're located, etc.) it may be useful in the caller turns out to be a scammer.

For more information about this scam, visit the FBI's web page using the link below:
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm