Page 6 - New England Condominium April 2020

6 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM -APRIL 2020 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM SECURITY Census 2020 Be Counted Safely During COVID-19 BY THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU This year, due to the coronavirus pan- demic, Census takers will not be able to visit neighborhoods door-to-door to re- quest survey responses as they did during previous counts. Instead, Census responses are now being requested online through 2020Census.gov and by telephone. This situation has opened up a world of oppor- tunity for scammers posing as government Census officials and taking advantage of the current crisis to trick people into giving up personally identifying information. “We encourage every citizen to fill out the 2020 Census, but to be extremely wary of Census-related fraud,” says Claire Rosen- zweig, President and CEO of Better Busi- ness Bureau (BBB) Serving Metropolitan New York. “The safest ways to respond are to contact the Census directly through their website at 2020Census.gov; by phone at a number posted on the Census website; by mail in response to an official printed Cen- sus Bureau survey; or through the web ad- dress provided in an official Census mailing you may have received at home.” Knowing how the Census Bureau oper- ates can help you distinguish between legiti- mate invitations to participate and ones that will never ask for your full Social Security representative. If it is determined that the by the caller to verify the caller’s identity. are probably fraudulent. The Census Bureau might request infor- mation through almost all communication credit account numbers, or your mother’s local police department. outlets, including phone, email, mail, or fax. maiden name. The Census Bureau also does However, the Census Bureau states that they not ask about citizenship status in their sur- will not send unsolicited emails requesting vey. participation in the 2020 Census. Emails claiming to be from the Census Bureau may politan New York offers these tips to help it card number, money, or donations. be ‘phishing’ attempts to obtain personal in- formation, and should be viewed with great caution. Additionally, since in-person visits by is suspended until at least April 15 due to be from the Census, hang up. Census Bureau field representatives were COVID-19, and possibly longer; if someone suspended effective March 18 through April comes to your door requesting information through 2020Census.gov, the official web- 15 and likely beyond, anyone going door- to-door requesting personal information impostor. Once it is announced that field be able to help. during that time frame is almost certainly work has resumed, check these tips from an impostor. There are three ways to reply to the Cen- sus: by phone, by mail, or online. The official website of the Census Bureau is Census.gov, ers must present a field badge that includes misspellings or improper extensions like Business Bureau has been helping people while the homepage for the 2020 Census a photograph of themselves, a Department .com or .net. specifically is 2020Census.gov. Responding of Commerce watermark, and an expiration to the Census is as easy as visiting the offi- cial Census Bureau web page and answering the prompts. The survey is very short and sus Bureau laptop or cellphone, as well as a cy’s website. Don’t click on any links in an tion, or to reach your local bureau office. can be completed in just a few minutes. While some of the information the Cen- sus requests is personal, the Census Bureau 8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau ed phone number other than one provided number, money, donations, anything on visitor who came to your door does not behalf of a political party, your full bank or work for the Census Bureau, contact your thing that comes from an anonymous or Better Business Bureau Serving Metro- you get counted while avoiding scammers: Be on the lookout for Census Bureau behalf of a political party. If someone calls of your account number, or other personal- impostors. All Census Bureau field work on behalf of a political party that claims to izing information, as these could be phish- for the Census, that person is probably an site. Your regional Census Bureau may also sus Bureau the Census Bureau to identify legitimate only websites you should be using to fill out census takers: Ask to see their ID Badge. Census tak- date. Census workers will be carrying a Cen- bag with a Census Bureau logo. If you still have questions, call 800-923- Never give out your Social Security emails, text messages, or links on social me- number or financial information. Census dia. Such communications are likely to be takers will never ask for your full Social Se- curity number, bank account number, cred- Census takers will never contact you on that don’t include your name, the last digits Make sure you respond to the Census Census.gov and 2020census.gov are the cling around. the 2020 Census. Be wary of any small vari- ations in the website address, such as tiny If something sounds suspicious, check can trust. There are local, independent on it by calling the government agency di- rectly, or by checking the government agen- unsolicited email. Instead, type the official web address into your browser, or do a web search to find the right website. Call a trust- Don’t click, download, or open any- suspicious-looking sender. That goes for an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer. Always be wary of generic emails ing attempts. Check the Census.gov page about this year’s count for the ways in which the Cen- will contact you, and check here to investigate any rumors that may be cir- Check BBB Scam Tracker for local re- ports of impostors in your area. For more than 100 years, the Better find businesses, brands and charities they BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Visit BBB.org for more informa- n