Census Scams
Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the FTC.
Quick Answer
Census scams are a form of government impersonation fraud where criminals pose as U.S. Census Bureau employees to steal personal information or money, contributing to the $1.1 billion lost to government and business impersonation scams in 2023 (FTC).
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How It Works
1
A scammer contacts you pretending to be from the U.S. Census Bureau. This contact can be an in-person visit, a phone call, an email, a text message, or a letter in the mail.
2
The imposter asks for sensitive personal or financial information that the real Census Bureau will never request. This includes your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, or your mother's maiden name.
3
The scammer may also ask for money or a donation, threaten you with jail time or fines for not cooperating, or direct you to a fraudulent website that looks like the official census.gov site to phish for your data.
4
If you provide the information, money, or credentials, the scammer uses it to commit identity theft, drain your bank accounts, or install malware on your computer.
Red Flags
- Requests for your Social Security number, mother's maiden name, or full bank and credit card numbers.
- Demands for money, donations, or payment of any kind.
- Threats of arrest or jail time for not participating in a survey.
- Unsolicited emails. The Census Bureau almost always makes initial contact by mail.
- Correspondence with a return address from anywhere other than Jeffersonville, Indiana.
- Websites that do not have a "census.gov" domain.
- Contact on behalf of a political party.
What to Do If Targeted
- Never provide your Social Security number, bank information, or credit card numbers to anyone claiming to be from the Census Bureau.
- If visited in person, ask to see the field representative's ID badge, which must contain their photograph, a Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date.
- Verify a field representative's identity by entering their name into the Census Bureau's online staff directory or by calling your regional office.
- Do not click links or open attachments in suspicious emails. Instead, forward the email to the Census Bureau at ois.fraud.reporting@census.gov.
- Confirm that any survey is legitimate by checking the official list of surveys on the Census Bureau website or calling the National Processing Center.
- Ensure any website you use for the census is secure and located at a census.gov domain.
How to Report It
- FTC — File a fraud report with the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's primary consumer protection agency.
- FBI IC3 — Report internet-enabled crime, including phishing and fraudulent websites, to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- Census Bureau — Forward suspicious emails and report potential scams directly to the U.S. Census Bureau.
- FCC — File a complaint about phone scams, robocalls, or unwanted calls with the Federal Communications Commission.
- AARP Fraud Helpline — Call 877-908-3360 for free support from trained fraud specialists. Available to anyone, not just AARP members.
Key Statistics
- In 2023, the FTC received nearly 160,000 reports of government impersonation scams, which are consistently among the top frauds reported. — FTC 2024
- Reported losses to government and business impersonation scams combined topped $1.1 billion in 2023, more than triple the amount from 2020. — FTC 2024
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 32,424 complaints of government impersonation in 2025, with reported losses of $797.9 million. — FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report
- For government impersonation scams reported to the FBI IC3, the number of complaints rose from 17,300 in 2024 to nearly 32,500 in 2025. — FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, the U.S. Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, money, or donations. A request for this type of information is a definitive sign of a scam.
A legitimate census taker must show you a valid ID badge that has their photo, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. You can also call your regional Census Bureau office or use the online staff directory to verify their identity.
The Census Bureau's primary method of initial contact is through the mail. While they may send emails or texts in very limited situations, such as to follow up with someone who has not responded, you should treat any unsolicited email or text with extreme caution. Do not click links and instead go directly to the official census.gov website.
No, you cannot be arrested or imprisoned for not responding to the census. While participation is required by law and you can be fined for not responding, any threat of arrest is a scam tactic.
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