Look Out for Door-to-Door Census Taker Impersonators

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Residents who haven't turned in their Census form should soon be getting a knock at their door. Starting Saturday, thousands of Census takers across the country are going door-to-door for a critical questionnaire that could mean millions of dollars in funding for communities, but Census officials are warning residents to be on alert for impersonators.

Census officials said residents need to make sure to look for identification. Every Census taker will have a Census badge that contains a Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date. The Census taker may also be carrying a black canvass bag with a Census Bureau logo.

"And they will always be ready to provide the name of their supervisor and how they can contact that supervisor by phone to verify that information," said Jeronimo Gallegos, Census 2010 Partnership Specialist. "

The Census taker will only ask the questions that appear on the 2010 Census form.

See the 10 questions on the census form

"Everybody should be mindful that those questions are personal. The census is only going to ask those very basic 10 questions," Gallegos said.

The Census will never ask for a social security number, bank account information or personal information.

Learn more about what to lookout for to avoid being scammed.

"Thousands of Census workers are going to be out in the field ensuring that we have a strong enumeration count for Oklahoma, for Oklahoma City, and for Oklahoma County throughout our state," Gallegos said.

In most cases, a Census taker will make at least six visits to each housing address to count possible residents.

More: What to Watch for in Census Scams | Learn more about Census jobs still available