Census Bureau ... do you do it??

[blueriver]

This may be a double post ... didn't get it done the first time.

About 3 weeks ago we recieved the pkg, did nothing. Tonight we got a phone call, the lady informed my wife that it is mandatory by law and we are subject to a $5k fine.

What you think??

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Did it come certified mail? That's the only method of delivery recognized by the courts.

 

[blueriver]

No it did not come certified ... the caller claimed even thought it was addressed "Resident" that it is bar coded and thus our phone number is in the code thus the reminder phone call. Claims she did not know our names ... just the address and the phone number.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

My response next time she calls. "Sorry lady, 3 weeks ago? I forgot what came inthe mail yesterday. I don't know what you're talking about." That is, if you don't want to respond. Otherwise, fill it out and send it in.

 

[ToadHill]

I'd fill it our and send it in. First I'd cut off the bar code and address info, when they called I'd tell them I don't know what happened, I sent it in.

 

[ragkar]

Could this be a scam or a ploy? What sort of things are they asking? A buddy of mine owns a mailing company. He claims that if you want to mail your advertisement to all the motels within a hundred miles with between six and twenty rooms, he can do it. One year he says that he managed to get income tax records for his area.
I gave up volunteering information on warranty cards that ask my age, family composition, household salary etc. when I learned that they sell that info to advertisers over and over again.
I would bring up the Census Bureau on the web and email ask them if they sent your survey.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Whoever called you is trying pull some sort of scam. The fine for non response is $100. The fine for lying is $500. Also the census is next to be taken on 4/1 of 2010, so why would you be contacted now?

The last time I was asked to complete the long form (how much do you make, how much do you spend on heat, etc.) and I refused to do so, but I did complete the imformation on the people living at my residence, since the original purpose of the census was to find out how many representatives each state should receive.

I was wondering if I would be fined $100. I never heard anymore from the government. In any event they aren't going to do the long form census in 2010, just information on the number of people in the household and their ethnicity.

 

[LBrown59]

Could this be a scam or a ploy? What sort of things are they asking? A buddy of mine owns a mailing company. He claims that if you want to mail your advertisement to all the motels within a hundred miles with between six and twenty rooms, he can do it. One year he says that he managed to get income tax records for his area.
I gave up volunteering information on warranty cards that ask my age, family composition, household salary etc. when I learned that they sell that info to advertisers over and over again.
I would bring up the IRS on the web and ask them if they sent your survey.

The
Census Bureau ... and the IRS are 2 different things.

 

[Tig]

What is the return address? I'm sure the government won't mind you posting that info.

 

[dgl24087]

Are You In a Survey?

 

[SnowRidge]

If it isn't the Census Bureau, which I tend to think is the case, someone is impersonating a federal official, probably a felony.

The next census is in 2010. There is a dress rehearsal in April. I doubt there is any penalty for declining to participate in the dress rehearsal.

I would report the events to the authorities.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Whoever called you is trying pull some sort of scam. The fine for non response is $100. The fine for lying is $500. Also the census is next to be taken on 4/1 of 2010, so why would you be contacted now?

I was wondering if I would be fined $100. I never heard anymore from the government. In any event they aren't going to do the long form census in 2010, just information on the number of people in the household and their ethnicity.

We did not respond to the last census. We wanted to, but were really put off by the detailed info asked for. Numerous and escalatingly threatening prompters were sent over a long period of time. Im sure were on the Bad list.
larry

 

[SnowRidge]

We did not respond to the last census. We wanted to, but were really put off by the detailed info asked for. Numerous and escalatingly threatening prompters were sent over a long period of time. Im sure were on the Bad list.
larry

I felt about the same. I had received one of the long versions that demanded a ton of information. One day a young lady showed up and caught me at home. I told her I felt the census, as it was currently being conducted, was outrageously intrusive if not unconstitutional, and most of the questions being asked were nobody's business but mine. She then asked me if I would just state how many people lived at the address. I told her. She said that would suffice, thanked me, and left.

 

[teg]

U.S. Census Bureau - Kansas City Regional Office

blueriver, These are phone numbers for your area, Oklahoma. Do you have caller I.D.?

 

[blueriver]

U.S. Census Bureau - Kansas City Regional Office

blueriver, These are phone numbers for your area, Oklahoma. Do you have caller I.D.?

Completely different phone numbers than on the Brochure, I do not have caller ID ...

The address on the return envolope is.

Director
US Census Bureau
PO Box 5240
Jeffersonville, IN 47199-5420

 

[tallyho8]

I believe that the US census is valuable to America in many ways. I am not hesitant to answer the questions on their written survey and mail it back in. I do NOT like answering the questions to someone on the phone or in person.

It is very simple to tell if your written survey is a scam.

 

[SnowRidge]

Found it. Google is a wonderful thing. It looks like you have received a low level under the radar ongoing census survey, that most people don't know exists. I would be pissed, if it was me.

 

[dmccarty]

The Census is important. It defines how many congress critters there are per state. I guess that is good. And federal money is sometimes allocated by information in the Census. Having said that.....

In the last Census we got the long form. Sorry I'm not telling how much money I make. This information is used by the companies to market products. I filled out the number of people in the house hold and mailed the form back. The questions asked in the long form are well past intrusive.

We received the long form as part of the rehearsal in a few months ago. Just told them how many people where in the house.

Later,
Dan

 

[weldingisfun]

The intent of a census is to count people and, as already stated, the information is used to determine the number of government representatives needed for geographic areas. IMHO, anything else is an intrusion of privacy and will be left unanswered.

 

[kthompson]

A Saturday about two months ago about 7 AM got phone call and yes caller ID showed it as Government agency of USDA or such. She was calling about a FARM PRODUCTION survey. I understand those are required to be filled out and they do ask income type questions. But only in general terms like what crops do you raise and how many acres. What kind of yield did you get and any idea what the price for the crop is per (in my case corn) bushel to which I said way too low. I was asked if had been sold or stored or such. The best I remember there was no way to know if I had sold 1 bushel or all of my crop. I did know we had received a package from the USDA. But they also had web site you could use and yes have had those packages before. I have no crop insurance, no loan programs, no government payments or any such only shows on taxes.