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The census is coming! The census is coming!

| February 27, 2020 1:00 AM

A Coeur d’Alene reader called to ask about a suspicious survey her household received from the American Community Survey (ACS) that asked invasive questions just like the census. The timing seemed a bit off as we aren’t supposed to start receiving our actual census questionnaires until mid-March.

The ACS is actually part of the Census Bureau and does send out surveys to about 3.5 million randomly selected homes. The survey asks very detailed questions about income, assets, job status, household amenities, and even your commute. The ACS survey is green; the census is blue.

However, some things a census survey or agent would never ask for are your Social Security number, credit card or bank account information, cash payment, or threaten you with jail time for not answering. If you’re asked for any of this information, it is a phishing scam designed to steal our identity or money. Taking part in the census is required by law and you can be fined but not imprisoned if you fail to participate.

Be on high alert in early to mid-spring when the Census Bureau will be sending out reminders to fill out your form and follow up in person at households that don’t respond. If a census representative shows up at your door, they’re required to have ID ready to show you.

Here is a brief timeline for the legitimate Census:

Mailers should start going out March 12-20. We could receive a reminder letter March 16-24 and then a reminder postcard between March 26-April 3.

By mid-April a fourth mailing will go out with a reminder letter and a paper questionnaire.

From May 13 to July 31, if you still haven’t responded, you could receive another follow-up inquiry. July 31 is the last day for households to self-respond online, by phone or by mail.

If you have any questions about the census questionnaire you receive or would like to check to make sure it’s legitimate, go to the United States Census Bureau website at https://www.census.gov/about/npc.Contact_Us.html or contact a customer service representative at 800-523-3205.

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PCH SWEEPSTAKES ALERT: An Athol reader called to warn us that he received a call supposedly from Publisher’s Clearing House. By now we know PCH does not call winners but instead will show up unannounced at our door with balloons, flowers and a giant check, informing us that we’ve won the big prize. It’s all a very public affair (albeit elusive as I have never witnessed it), but what if you’re the second place winner?

Scammers have taken to the phones to call people to inform them they’re receiving a call because the recipient is the second place winner in the sweepstakes, hence the lack of fanfare. The crook goes on to explain that they will be arranging a “private” ceremony just for the winner. Oh — and since the check can’t be delivered directly to your doorstep, the scammer wants to know if you know how a wire transfer works.

At this point our astute reader decided it was time to hang up on the prankster. He hadn’t entered the contest so the chances of him winning any PCH sweepstakes was nil. By the way, our reader does know how a wire transfer works and no he didn’t provide this information to the scammer because he didn’t need to be a psychic to know the flow of money would have been from his account rather than into it.

If you receive one of these calls, do yourself a favor and just hang up.

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WHAT IS TRACED ACT? It should come as no surprise that the Federal Communications Commission ranks unwanted robocalls as its No. 1 consumer complaint. Now consumers have won a small victory in the form of additional protections against unwanted robocalls under recent legislation signed by President Trump. It is the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act. One of the main goals of this act is to establish rules to protect consumers from receiving calls from unauthenticated numbers.

Here are a few provisions of the Act:

1. Requires all carriers to implement new caller-ID technology at no charge to consumers;

2. Extends the statute of limitations for prosecuting illegal robocallers;

3. Increases penalties for robocall violations;

4. Creates an interagency task force to study and improve the government prosecution of robocall violations; and,

5. Establishes a neutral consortium of carriers that will lead efforts to trace back the origin of robocalls.

But before you get your hopes up too high, remember these provisions will take time to implement. In the meantime, the advice given in this column still stands. Don’t answer calls when you don’t recognize the number, sign up for robocall blocking service through your carrier or a third-party app, and register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry on its website at https://www.donotcall.gov/.

Signing up on the registry won’t stop illegal robocallers but it should stop legitimate telemarketers from calling you.

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Remember: I’m on your side.

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If you have encountered a consumer issue that you have questions about or think our readers should know about, please send me an email at terridickersonadvocate@gmail.com or call me at 208-274-4458. As The CDA Press Consumer Gal, I’m here to help. I’m a full-time copywriter working with businesses on marketing strategy, a columnist and a consumer advocate living in Coeur d’Alene.