Is there a Census MAILING Scam Occuring?

Hey guys. I figured this would be the best place to ask this question. Recently at work, a co-worker of mine, was sent an official looking U.S. Census Form. The form was probably the most invasive form ever sent from the Government! Below, is a list of the questions that were being asked. Remember, this form looks authentic, right out of the Census Office!

My question is basically the title of the thread: "Is there a scam occurring right now that anyone is aware of, coming from the 'Census'"?

A list of some of the questions that are asked: (Each person of the household has THREE pages of questions)

- Where do you work?
- When do you leave for work each day?
- How much money do you make each year?
- How long is your travel to and from work each day?
- How much is your mortgage?
- Is your insurance of your house paid by the mortgage or is it separate?
- Do you share a wall with your neighbors? On one side or both sides? IE) Single Family Dwelling
- It asked: What is the Ethnic make up of each member of the household?
- If you are of Spanish background, what type are you? IE) Cuban, Mexican, Nicarauguan, Spain, ETC.
- How much are your utility bills? Broken up by each utility!
- How do you pay for your Health Insurance? Private or Company paid?
- What is your employers name and address?

See what I mean guys? Is this a scam or is this more Big Brother invading our privacy? Why on Earth would they need to know any of this? I am extremely curious about all of this! Is this part of the "Round-up Process"? It is eerie that this is all occurring!

Let's stay on topic guys and figure this one out! I know I came to the right site!

reply to post by NeverApologize

Crucial question; what was the reply address?
It looks like the kind of information Marketing Depts would want to have, but if it was a scam of some kind they would need to be able to pick up the information when returned.

reply to post by DISRAELI


She is going to check and I will have an answer tonight after 6PM(ish)
Very good question!

Dying to know what the off topic post was. LOL
I also have more information to relay:

- What is your average fuel cost month to month?
- What is your source of fuel? Electric, Gas, Oil. Solar? Geothermal, Wind, ETC...
- What are the Birth Dates of each of your children?
- What type of lights do you use? Energy saver or incandescant?
- What year was your house built?
- When did you buy your house?

She also informed me that this is a follow up questioneere.

Originally posted by NeverApologize
Dying to know what the off topic post was. LOL

That was just a new member racking up his 20 posts by posting two words on every thread he could find.
You haven't missed anything.
All that information would be a real gold-mine for anyone wanting to compile mailing-lists to sell to Marketing Depts. That's where my money is.
Does the form threaten any penalties for non-return? If not, it can be ignored.
And I suspect not; if this is a scam, a threat of that kind would push them closer towards illegality.

reply to post by NeverApologize


This is not a scam. I went through this same scenairo in 2007. I thought it was a scam and ignored the letter and guess what happened next ? They showed up on my door step. It was legit-they showed me their credentials and had a laptop and I answered the questions while we sat on the front porch.

I asked her why such invasive questions and her reply was that it was all for increasing tax dollars in my area which I told her yeah whatever(laughing). I answered the questions because if they really wanted to know they would find out anyway and why be hassled any more than need be-because they can if your not willing to divulge the info willingly. And they tell you up front they can fine you a ridiculous sum of money and add prison time on top of that.

So they knew what I drove to work. How many people lived with me. How many minutes to and from work. How many cars plated. Plate numbers. Job address-phone number etc. I didn't like this and think it is invasive but I didn't want to butt heads with them.

im sure a census just used to be to see how many people there were in the country and how many were living in each house. this is way too much infomation to be asking for. if everyone fills in one of these and then its all put into a computer somewhere thats a very dangerous thing. people with access could find out anything they wanted about you. what with being able to track your bank cards and cctv all over the place i think big brother state is already here.

They had the same type of thing going on around Atlanta during the census drive. They even had people claiming to be census workers knocking on peoples door. Channel 2 here in Atlanta did a report on this. It was a huge phishing scam here locally. Some people did give that information up and a few of them payed the price. I am sure if you dig around in the archives you can find the reports. WSB TV Atlanta

To me, and this just my opinion; this is Un-Constitutional. This is an open shut case for a lawyer if you really wanted to fight this! It is a clear invasion of privacy.

If they wanted to know these questions is not most of it public knowledge any way? Why do they waste money sending people to your house when these a-holes have access to this with a few clicks of a mouse or a couple phone calls?!

I can see the sense of a regular basic question census. I have no complaints. I think it puts money and resources where they need to go, to an extent.

How does knowing what time I leave for work help any of this? It doesn't!

IMO, they are only doing this because no one is fighting back. We are all kow-towing to the almighty "Hand that feeds us". It is utter malarkey and needs to stop! Stand up before it is too late! Use your rights or they will disappear!

How about just calling the Real Census Bureau and asking them?

Appears to be a con to me.

reply to post by Άδης


Isn't the census over though? I just don't understand the thinking behind this...
We are living in very frightening times.

The NAZI's did this to the Jews. They applied labels on papers and later forced them to wear badges identifying them as Juden. This is the same. Allow me to explain...

This is not people warfare but this is class warfare, Hell, I think It's both actually. What's next? We all have to wear a national ID carrying all of our information?

Our Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves, mark my words.

reply to post by OhZone


You may be correct but the fact it does not ask for a SSN# leads me to believe this is legit.
This is not cool... We are losing our rights and privacy.

Are there any lawyers out there willing to tell me if there is a case here?

I can see how the information they ask for could be used by someone for identity theft.
It could also be used with information from the county recorders office and other information sites to build a portfolio that could be used to send fake bills or even to make it look like there home mortgage had been sold to another mortgage company and a new billing address and payment booklet sent.

Where do you work and when do you leave?

They want to know when you are not home......
Why would anyone want that information?

And your employers address....so they can check to see if your car is there?

And other questions are "window dressing"?

Do call the Census Office.

Originally posted by OhZone
Where do you work and when do you leave?

They want to know when you are not home......
Why would anyone want that information?

And your employers address....so they can check to see if your car is there?

Along with...

How much money do you make each year?...are you going to be worth the trouble to rob.
How long is your travel to and from work each day?...need to know what kind of window they have to rob you if a nosy neighbor calls you to report someone suspicious entering your home.
How much is your mortgage?...if your mortgage to net salary ratio is too high then chances are you don't have anything worth stealing.
Do you share a wall with your neighbors? On one side or both sides?...Why not go for a two-fer or a three-fer and break into the neighbor's apartment through the wall which surely doesn't have a lock and an alarm like the windows and doors.

Yup, it certainly could denote a scam. It is wise to be overly cautious in this day and age.

However, the U.S. Census Bureau does conduct SURVEYS in addition to the Census. These surveys are conducted monthly, quarterly and annually, to either a particular demographic or geographical area. This could have been a legitimate U.S. Census Bureau survey. Surveys, however are entirely voluntary, not mandatory like the Census. US Census Bureau surveys sometimes can ask some very sensitive information, such as specifically what products do you buy and the full details of your household finances to better understand the economy and provide input to cost of living measures, for but a single example. You can opt not to partake in them without penalty, as well as decline to answer specific questions, unlike the Census.

OK guys. I think she has called the IRS to see what's up. I am switching to a temporary assignment of 5 weeks of Third Shift.

She may even post in here if she is feeling like taking a jump. She is a lurker on this site. Make her feel welcome, like you have, and she will probably .

Regardless, thank you for your analysis and I feel like I have learned a few things! (A reason I come and became a member of this site!)