Time to do our civic duty and respond to the Census. This happens once every 10 years and is helpful to our community. How is it helpful? The data is used to determine the number of Congressional representatives for our area. If the census data is under-reported, we can lose representation in Washington D.C.
Hopefully you received the short Census form in the mail. That form contains 10 questions and is easy to complete. Be sure to return it by April 1 (yes, April Fool's Day! - maybe they should have chosen April the 2nd). If it isn't returned by April 1st, you will probably receive another form or possibly a visit from a Census taker. Visits are scheduled to begin in May.
If someone does come to your door and claims to be a census taker, you can verify their authenticity by calling 1-866-226-2864. Please keep in mind a census taker will NEVER: ask to enter your home, or ask for your Social Security / Bank information. They must have an official ID from the U.S government.
Call 1-866-226-2864 if you have questions about whether any communications you receive came from the Census Bureau. Bear in mind, email will not be used to collect Census data. If you received a suspicious letter in the mail, please report it to the to U.S. Postal Inspection Service: 877-876-2455.
And lastly, here is a link from the Census site regarding census fraudulent activity and scams.
