Consumer Reports

I got mine, did you get yours? It’s March and the Census Bureau is in full gear making sure census forms are delivered to every home in the United States and Puerto Rico. The good news is that it’s easy - when you get your form, just answer the 10 questions and mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope they provide (the form cannot be completed online). It only took me a couple of minutes to complete mine. If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker , who will ask you the questions from the form .

You’re probably aware that the Census Bureau is gearing up for the 2010 census , and you can bet there are people with bad intentions that will try to use the census as an opportunity to steal your personal information. I’ve already read reports that the scammers are getting started. People contact us all the time about e-mail scams and fraud schemes . Sometimes fraudulent e-mails are even sent by someone posing as a government agency, so be careful and if you’re ever in doubt, check it out. In March 2010 the Census Bureau will mail or deliver census forms to every household in the United States. It’s important that you know the difference between the official forms , and forms or e-mails that might be a scam. Here are some highlights of the Census 2010 schedule : February – March 2010: Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households. April – July 2010: Census takers visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail. So keep yourself informed, and stay one step ahead of the scammers!