By Britney Milazzo
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
Residents are encouraged to fill out local census forms to ensure the area receives vital federal resources, but officials are warning people to make sure those forms are on the up-and-up.
Scammers are sending out fake forms hoping to capture personal information from the public, according to a statement from Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport.
A news release from the House of Representatives said the Census Bureau has received complaints about deceptive mailings that arrive in enveloped marked “Census” and include a “census tracking code.”
“In reality, many of these mailings are not affiliated with the Census Bureau,” Slaughter said.
The report said official Census Bureau documents will never ask for a full Social Security number, money or a donation, PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
“It’s no secret that our population in Western New York has gone down, which makes it even more important that everyone of us fills out this vital form so New York isn’t left out in the cold,” Slaughter said in an interview. “Our schools, libraries, community centers and so many other important programs all rely on Census results.”
She said the results of the census will determine how more than $445 billion in federal funds are distributed to state, local and tribal governments in the next 10 years.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives voted on legislation that would protect the integrity of the constitutionally mandated United States census and prohibit false mail practices that attempt to exploit the decennial census, a report said.
Slaughter voted for the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act.
