[ditka41]

I received a 47 page form to complete and return to "DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU , (in Jeffersonville, IN, of all places.) I have never had such a "demand" before regarding a census, and consider this to be extremely suspect of being an attempt to obtain very private, financial information that I do not wish to share. I called the phone number the form provided to answer any questions concerning privacy, spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up. Very unprofessional!

Just wondering if any others here have received such a strange request from the "U.S. Census Bureau". I am tempted to shred it and forget it in this era of SCAMS. Would appreciate your comments, please. --Thank you.

[Stu from NYC]

I do know that some percentage of census forms asks lots of personal question but no idea if this one is legit or not.

Find the main number in DC of census bureau and ask them.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by ditka41

I received a 47 page form to complete and return to "DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU , (in Jeffersonville, IN, of all places.) I have never had such a "demand" before regarding a census, and consider this to be extremely suspect of being an attempt to obtain very private, financial information that I do not wish to share. I called the phone number the form provided to answer any questions concerning privacy, spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up. Very unprofessional!

Just wondering if any others here have received such a strange request from the "U.S. Census Bureau". I am tempted to shred it and forget it in this era of SCAMS. Would appreciate your comments, please. --Thank you.

Scam, most likely. The last census was in 2020 and they're held every 10 years so it's unlikely that data would be requested at this point in time.

Toss it. I certainly would.

[blueash]

Originally Posted by ditka41

I received a 47 page form to complete and return to "DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU , (in Jeffersonville, IN, of all places.) I have never had such a "demand" before regarding a census, and consider this to be extremely suspect of being an attempt to obtain very private, financial information that I do not wish to share. I called the phone number the form provided to answer any questions concerning privacy, spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up. Very unprofessional!

Just wondering if any others here have received such a strange request from the "U.S. Census Bureau". I am tempted to shred it and forget it in this era of SCAMS. Would appreciate your comments, please. --Thank you.

My comment would be that a simple google search would show you that Jeffersonville Indiana is a national census survey center.

https://www.osec.doc.gov/opog/privac.../census-7.html

and that depending on the exact wording on the form you received, additional information as to the purpose of the form is available by finding the correct form at

List of Surveys

Suggestions for verifying the legitimacy of the form or a census taker is at

Verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact

You likely were selected to respond to the yearly American Community Survey

Despite the comments above mine which incorrectly tell you the census bureau only collects data every ten years... those are wrong statements.

Details for that Survey are at
Top Questions About the Survey.

In the FAQ section about that survey you are informed your participation is required, not optional and that you must honestly answer

If your address was selected for the American Community Survey, you are legally obligated to answer all the questions, as accurately as you can. The relevant laws are Title 18 U.S.C Section 3571 and Section 3559, which amends Title 13 U.S.C. Section 221.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Scam, most likely. The last census was in 2020 and they're held every 10 years so it's unlikely that data would be requested at this point in time.

Toss it. I certainly would.

I would toss it even if it was legitimate.

[Trayderjoe]

Originally Posted by ditka41

I received a 47 page form to complete and return to "DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU , (in Jeffersonville, IN, of all places.) I have never had such a "demand" before regarding a census, and consider this to be extremely suspect of being an attempt to obtain very private, financial information that I do not wish to share. I called the phone number the form provided to answer any questions concerning privacy, spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up. Very unprofessional!

Just wondering if any others here have received such a strange request from the "U.S. Census Bureau". I am tempted to shred it and forget it in this era of SCAMS. Would appreciate your comments, please. --Thank you.

Years ago when I lived in NJ, I received a detailed census form. It was NOT a 47 page form (maybe 10 or 12 pages), and it arrived while a census was known to be in progress. I was aware that such detailed forms were being sent out to a percent of the population, and the return address matched that of the shorter form others I knew were completing. I would recommend that you independently find a contact number for the US Census bureau and ask them if they are conducting such a census at this time and at least let them know there might be a scam going on.

Note: I chose to only answer 3 or 4 questions and mailed it back. I did subsequently have a census person with ID show up at my door indicating that I did not complete the form "as required". I informed that person that I answered all that I intended to answer and that the rest of the form asked what I felt were intrusive questions, especially since I was not receiving public assistance. I suggested that while the post office had never lost or misdirected a piece of mail in it's entire history, I was not looking to be the first to have that fully completed document with such detailed information lost (yes I was sarcastic). You are not required to answer all of the questions on a census, but what you do answer must be truthful. Should you choose to answer and lie, then you are subject to any penalties that can be imposed, be they fines and/or jail time.

[oldtimes]

There is a census bureau in Jefferson, IN

Avoiding Fraudulent Activity and Scams

[ditka41]

Thanks for the comments. Glad to see there is a "mixed" feeling about it and all information is appreciated. I am going to pursue it further before complying with the "demand". Strange how invasive this stuff feels to a native-born, retired, tax-paying American.

[Babubhat]

Round file document. No trespassers allowed. You are not required to answer the door for police

[MartinSE]

It never ceases to amaze me how many Americans hate America...

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by ditka41

spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up.

There are a lot easier ways to scam someone than to do it by creating a 40+ page questionnaire!!! Likely it's legit and if she really called you a "stupid man" after stupidly giving you her name, I'd try hard to find out where she was located and report her as call are likely recorded. Of course your explanation of the conversation that led to the alleged name calling is only one side of the story.

[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by blueash

My comment would be that a simple google search would show you that Jeffersonville Indiana is a national census survey center.

https://www.osec.doc.gov/opog/privac.../census-7.html

and that depending on the exact wording on the form you received, additional information as to the purpose of the form is available by finding the correct form at

List of Surveys

Suggestions for verifying the legitimacy of the form or a census taker is at

Verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact

You likely were selected to respond to the yearly American Community Survey

Despite the comments above mine which incorrectly tell you the census bureau only collects data every ten years... those are wrong statements.

Details for that Survey are at
Top Questions About the Survey.

In the FAQ section about that survey you are informed your participation is required, not optional and that you must honestly answer

OP:
Please read the detailed information posted earlier. The belief someone else expressed about surveys from the US Census Bureau only every 10 years is false. Also, if you received the annual American Community Survey, the website of the US Census Bureau says this on the FAQ page:

“If your address was selected for the American Community Survey, you are legally obligated to answer all the questions, as accurately as you can. The relevant laws are Title 18 U.S.C Section 3571 and Section 3559, which amends Title 13 U.S.C. Section 221.”

Answering a survey you received from the Census Bureau is similar to jury duty. It is crucial to make things work and a duty to participate if selected.

Also, you may be able to submit your survey responses online rather than on paper. Go to the webpage of the US Census Bureau for your particular survey form to check.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by ditka41

I received a 47 page form to complete and return to "DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU , (in Jeffersonville, IN, of all places.) I have never had such a "demand" before regarding a census, and consider this to be extremely suspect of being an attempt to obtain very private, financial information that I do not wish to share. I called the phone number the form provided to answer any questions concerning privacy, spoke with a female named "Sandra", and expressed my concerns. She did not help in any way before terminating our call by calling me a "stupid man", and hanging up. Very unprofessional!

Just wondering if any others here have received such a strange request from the "U.S. Census Bureau". I am tempted to shred it and forget it in this era of SCAMS. Would appreciate your comments, please. --Thank you.

From a security standpoint, your first mistake was to call the number on the form - you NEVER do that. Hate to say it but maybe her comment was actually referring to that.

[dadcat]

I also received such a packet. After 2 pages or so I too said that they do not need this info to know how many people are alive in my home. In my opinion, just the government trying to take control over us. I destroyed the pamphlet.

[villageuser]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I would toss it even if it was legitimate.

Those were my thoughts, too.

I did look it up. If one is willing to do it, good to see there’s different ways of answering it besides by mail. The site says it helps the government save money. Ha! I believe those answers can be gotten, probably cheaper, that should already be out there, through the housing market, businesses, etc.etc.

Anyhow, if the original poster wants more info, this was a good page: Get Help Responding to the ACS