I’m back with another installment of my fraudulent activity report. Last time we had a little chat about ATMs. This time I thought it would be important to mention some fraud happening in the mail - especially in the recently released U.S. Census.
I have been searching the census.gov website for some insight into this new type of scam and came up with some very helpful information. First of all, you should be aware of what the Census Bureau is doing to reach people and what they are not doing:
- The Census Bureau is conducting a survey by mail
- The Census Bureau is not conducting the Census via internet
- The Census Bureau does not send e-mails about participating in the Census
- The Census Bureau never:
- Asks for your full social security number
- Asks for money or a donation
- Sends requests on behalf of a political party
- Requests PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
Your Census survey will come in the mail and ask a few very simple questions. Beware! If you get something in the mail that looks similar to the Census, but it asks for your social security number – throw it away!
This type of fraudulent activity is called ‘phishing’ and is the criminal process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, bank account or credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
If you ever question whether or not to give out personal account numbers, PINs, or social security numbers – don’t do it. You are welcome to give us a call and we can help you decide if the request for that type of personal information is valid. We love to help members protect their information from the bad guys!
