Posts Tagged ‘privacy’

2010 U.S. Census Creates ID Theft Vulnerability

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

In March of this year, census takers will begin to thread their way across the highways and byways of our land to conduct the 2010 census.

Despite the skepticism of some,  participation is required under Title 13 of the United States Code. The same law also requires that the Census Bureau tabulate your information without revealing any of your personal data.

The government imposes very stiff fines and possible prison terms for federal employees who violate the privacy guidelines.

Allow me to call another lurking personal privacy threat to your attention. Make sure that anyone you share information with is actually from the Census Bureau!

This reminder came to my attention  from a Vice President of  Security at Austin Bank in Longview,  Texas.  (used with permission)

There has been a lot of advertisement about the 2010 Census. It is important that all people participate in the census since it is only taken every ten years. However, there are people at work posing as census takers to do one simple thing; steal the identity of everyone they can, and either use or sell the information. It is important that you protect yourself and talk to your family and friends, about protecting themselves.

Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau has issued this statement on their website:

Census workers may need to visit your household to update the Census Bureau’s address list, deliver a questionnaire or ask you to complete the questionnaire face-to-face.  All census workers carry official government badges marked with just their name.  You also may ask them for a picture ID from another source to confirm their identity.  In addition, some census workers might carry a ‘U. S. Census Workers’ bag.  If you still are not certain about their identity, please call the Regional Census Center toll-free number to confirm they are employed by the Census Bureau.

Census workers will never ask  for your:

  • Social security number
  • Citizenship or immigration status
  • Salary or income
  • Bank account information

The reality is that their questions require much less personal information than a typical credit card application. If you would rather not answer questions at your front door, you can mail in your data.

The government says that our participation will help us to “paint a portrait of America”.

Pick up your paintbrush and let your voice be heard.


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Posted in Federal Government, Federal Law, Personal privacy, Personal Responsibility | 2 Comments »

Haitian Disaster Scammers Target Donors

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Hands of HaitiAs Americans and the world respond to the urgent needs of the Haitian people, the dark deeds of evil people surface yet again.

The scammers who take advantage of disasters  such as this one by preying upon unsuspecting donors,  are already in full swing.

It has been widely reported now, that criminals have begun setting up fraudulent charities, helplines and websites in an attempt to cash in on the misery and heartache of the Haitian quake survivors.

Reuters is reporting that the FBI and The Bureau of Justice Assistance have already begun warning donors and tracking complaints during this relief effort.

Both the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina shed light on the depths to which con-artists will go in order to steal both money and personal information.

The potential for technology to be used for the good of the Haitian relief effort,  can be seen and safely accessed by texting to one or more legitimate mobile-friendly sites that are now in place.

– Texting HAITI to 90999: The U.S. Department of State’s Web site suggests texting “HAITI” to “90999″ to donate $10 to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts. The $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to contribute to the disaster relief efforts.

– Texting YELE to 501501: On Twitter, musician Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, notes, “Haiti needs your help text YELE to 501501 and $5 dollars will go toward earthquake relief.” Yele Haiti is a grassroots movement Jean has set up to inspire change in Haiti through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment.

We Americans can be a very generous and compassionate people.  The sheer magnitude of the issues facing the world’s poorest countries like Haiti, can and are now being brought to light by the media as well as the ongoing efforts of  well established relief organizations like World Vision and Food For The Poor.

In their hour of need, Haitian earthquake survivors and relief workers must not be held hostage by opportunistic “privacy pirates”.  Shame on those who attempt to re-route essential resources away from the people of Haiti and into their own dark pockets.

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Posted in Financial Scams | No Comments »