A leading identity theft restoration firm has issued a warning for Americans to beware of the increase of identity thieves posing as U.S Census Bureau workers in the coming year as they attempt to get victims to give up their confidential personal identification information.
According to Lionheart Assurance Solutions, it may be very difficult for people to differentiate between the 140,000 U.S. Census workers who will be dispatched across the country to tally populations throughout 2010 and fraudulent identity thieves who may be out for nothing more than financial gain.
"Identity theft has become the fastest growing white-collar crime in America, and this is a golden opportunity for identity thieves," says Chuck Siegel, CEO of Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP.
While it may be difficult to initially differentiate a Census worker from a fraudulent identity thief - and turning away a real worker could result in a fine because Census participation is mandatory - Lionheart singled out a few ways that consumers may be able to conclude it they are being taken advantage or not.
Because all Census workers carry a specialized badge, consumers are free to request to see it for identification before talking with them. Workers are only equipped with a handheld device and a confidentiality notice and cannot ask to enter a home under any circumstances.
Additionally, the 10-question form carried by workers will be based around the idea of determining how many inhabitants there are in a household, not any personal banking, identification, or online contact information.
"Many Americans will be expecting to hear from the Census Bureau this year and may not have enough information to discern between legitimate and illegitimate requests for information," he added.
The Better Business Bureau added in a separate warning to consumers that Census takers will only ask for one's name, age, rage, ethnicity, relationship, and whether they rent their home. Additionally, census takers will never ask questions about personal identification information that does not appear on the form.
