Consumer Blog
The American Community Survey
There is a relatively new type of annual survey being done by the US Census department. This is different from the one that's long been done every 10 years. This one is the American Community Survey, or ACS, and it probes much deeper and is mandatory. You can be fined up to $5000 if you don't complete the form, which the Census says takes 38 minutes to do.
A lot of people are uncomfortable with the mandatory nature of this. It asks a lot of personal questions like race, income, do you have running water, how much are your heating bills. And it asks your name - so it's not anonymous.
Regarding identity theft, there are no questions on here that jump out as a threat. The ACS does not ask your Social Security, bank account or credit card number.
If you get any survey asking for those things, that should be seen as a fake and a scam. If you get a survey, it should look like this. If it doesn't, call 1-800-354-7271. That's the ACS number, and an operator can help you determine if your survey is authentic.
Technorati Tags: ACS, census, identity theft, solicitation, american community survey, moagoconsumer, consumer protection
Posted by on December 8, 2008 12:40 pm :: Comments (2) :: Permalink
2 Responses to "The American Community Survey"
says:
December 10, 2008 9:54 am
A fine of $5000 for not completing these! Seems a little much for me. I need to watch my money so I can make my payments on my new house. I know that the surveys need to be completed but making it mandatory with such a high fine seems ridiculous.
says:
January 11, 2009 8:41 am
How do we know if we are going to get one? Is everyone going to get one? Does is come certified? Does it come in an envelope that is easy to mistake for Junk? I agree with John 5k is a little stout don't you think? Why not give an incentive instead of punishment?
