During the Census count, everyone should stay vigilant to avoid scams designed to steal an individual’s valuable personal information. Here are some tips to guard against Census-related identity theft:

In person:

Official Census workers (known as enumerators) will only visit households that did not fill out their census surveys on time (August-October 2020). If someone knocks on your door before this time period and claims to be a Census worker, do not engage with them.

If you are visited by an enumerator from the Census Bureau because you have not filled out your survey, they are required to:

• Present an ID Badge with their photograph, the Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date;
• Provide their supervisor’s contact information and/or the regional office phone number for verification, if requested;
• Provide a letter from the Director of the Census Bureau on U.S. Census Bureau letterhead; Enumerators may also be carrying a laptop and/or bag with a Census Bureau logo.

If you are still unsure, call the Los Angeles Regional Census Office at (818) 267-1700 or (800) 992-3530 to verify if someone is a legitimate Census Bureau employee. You can also verify that their name is on the Census Bureau Staff Search website.

Online:

Phishing is when a hacker pretends to be an entity you trust in order to get your private information (username, password, and social security number). For the first time, the 2020 Census will be online and scammers will try to take advantage of this. It’s important to know that the U.S. Census Bureau will never send you an email.

If you get an email, do not reply, click on any links, or open any attachments. Forward the email to the Census Bureau at ois.fraud.reporting@census.gov and delete the message. When filling out the questionnaire, make sure you are at the correct, secure Census website.

In the mail:

In addition to doing a mandatory count of all people living in the United States every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts hundreds of other surveys each year. If you receive mail from the U.S. Census Bureau, the return address should be from Jeffersonville, Indiana. If you’re unsure about the validity of a letter or form, call the Los Angeles Regional Census Office at (818) 267-1700 or toll-free at 1-800-992-3530, or email Los.Angeles.Regional.Office@census.gov.

Over the phone:

If you receive a call, you should verify that the person on the line is a Census official by requesting their ID badge so you can confirm them on the Census Bureau Staff Search website.