The 2020 United States Census is happening at the same time as a global pandemic, varying levels of shelter-in-place orders, and the distribution of government stimulus payments. With so much going on at once, both census takers and consumers are in a unique circumstance. The overall goal for the census is to collect the most accurate data possible and prevent potential fraudsters from getting their hands on personal information, which they then use to steal your identity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau officials, they will end field data collection by September 30, 2020.

When an unsolicited message via text, email, or a social media messenger arrived that looked like it was from the Census Bureau, warnings would be issue that it was a scammer phishing for information. Some versions of the phony message included a link to a website “for more information.” If the link was clicked, users would unknowingly download malware onto the device giving access to private information such as usernames, passwords, and other personal information stored on your computer.

This is still possible and scammers have been known to use these tactics!

What's changed

Since the oubreak of the coronavirus, the U.S. Census Bureau has taken measures to protect its employees and the people they are collecting information from while still getting an accurate count of all communities. They recently announced it will start to follow up with select non-responding households and are changing the way they will communicate with low-responding households. which will include email.

How to avoid census scams

Know how the U.S. Census Bureau communicates. The U.S. Census Bureau may email you to ask you to complete your census, but it will come from this address only: 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov.

The U.S. Census Bureau may email you to ask you to complete your census, but it will come from this address only: 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov. The Census Bureau will not hold back stimulus money if you don't fill out the census. Don't respond to emails that say otherwise.

Don't respond to emails that say otherwise. Only visit official websites. Valid U.S. government websites almost always end in “.gov”. Find key information about the 2020 census at 2020census.gov and information about economic stimulus payments at irs.gov/coronavirus.

Valid U.S. government websites almost always end in “.gov”. Find key information about the 2020 census at 2020census.gov and information about economic stimulus payments at irs.gov/coronavirus. Never click on links in unsolicited messages. Phishing scams direct you to websites that look official, but these sites may be infected with malware. If you don’t know and trust the person who sent you the message, don’t click on any links.

Phishing scams direct you to websites that look official, but these sites may be infected with malware. If you don’t know and trust the person who sent you the message, don’t click on any links. Know what a Census taker looks like: The Census Bureau is providing face masks to census takers and requires that census takers wear a mask while conducting their work. They will follow CDC and local public health guidelines when they visit. Census takers can be easily identified by a valid government ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge. To confirm a census taker’s identity, the public may contact their regional census center to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

More Information

Get tips from the U.S. Census Bureau about how to avoid census related fraud and scams. Learn more about the stimulus payments on IRS.gov.

Read up on phishing scams at BBB.org/PhishingScam. Learn more about scams related to COVID-19 at BBB.org/Coronavirus.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam related to the 2020 Census or economic stimulus payments, be sure to report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help others to spot a scam before it’s too late.