Census scams by mail, phone and email: how to tell a real survey from a fake
Quick answer
Real Census Bureau surveys exist, so check before you answer. Scammers pose as the Bureau to get your Social Security number or bank details. The Bureau won't ask for money, your full SSN, or card or bank numbers. Verify through census.gov, not the contact info you were sent.
- Comes by
- Mail, Phone call, Email, Text
- Pretends to be
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Last updated
How it works
The U.S. Census Bureau is a victim here: scammers borrow its name because real surveys, like the American Community Survey, do arrive in the mail.
A fake survey letter, call or email asks for personal details. Washington's attorney general says the Bureau won't ask for your full Social Security number, money or donations, your political party, or credit card or bank information. Scammers use that data for identity theft or to get at your accounts.
Caller ID can be faked, so a call that shows a Census number proves nothing. The Bureau also doesn't start contact by email, and its real emails and links use a census.gov address.
Red flags
- A request for your full Social Security number, bank account or credit card number
- A request for money, a donation or a fee to "complete" the survey
- A question about your political party
- An email that starts the contact, or a link that isn't on a census.gov address
- A caller who demands answers right away
- A letter you can't verify on census.gov
Example message
This is the Census Bureau. Your household survey is overdue. To avoid a penalty, confirm your Social Security number and bank details at [link] or call [phone number].
What to do
- 1
Don't answer or click
Don't reply to the email, open the link or call the number. Look up the Census Bureau on census.gov and use the contact information you find there.
- 2
If it came by mail, check it
Compare the survey with what the Census Bureau's own site says about the survey you received. If you can't confirm it, don't fill it in.
- 3
If you gave your Social Security number or bank details
Call your bank, freeze your credit with the three credit bureaus, and watch your accounts. Our guide on what to do after a data breach covers the steps.
- 4
If you paid, contact your payment provider
Tell your bank or card issuer it was fraud and ask about reversing the payment.
- 5
Report it
Report the message to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Scammers send these to addresses and numbers they bought or scraped, and they often know your name and street, which makes a survey look real. Serus finds the people-search sites and data brokers that list your address and phone number and removes you, and alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer scammers can make a fake survey look personal.
More U.S. Census Bureau scams
Frequently asked
Is every Census Bureau letter a scam?
No. Real surveys are sent by mail. Check them on census.gov before you answer, and never give your full Social Security number or bank details.
Will the Census Bureau email me first?
Washington's attorney general says the Bureau doesn't start contact by email, and its real emails and links use a census.gov address.
Does the Census Bureau ask for money?
No. It won't ask for money or donations, or for credit card or bank information.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.