Residents in the Alderwood area are being warned not to be suckered by fake Canada Census scammers out to get your personal information or money.

Most households across the country have already received a letter in the mail in regards to completion of their 2021 census questionnaire online as required by law. The deadline was May 11 but data collection still continues.

Bright yellow ‘Notice of Visit’ cards are left in the mail boxes or residents who have not complied with census requirements.

The cards warn residents that is a legal obligation to complete the questionnaire and Statistic Canada officials will return until the census is completed.

Scammers follow the large yellow cards and approach the homeowners by claiming to be Statistics Canada officials. They try to extort payments from residents, mostly immigrants or new Canadians, for having a late or uncompleted census questionnaire.

The homeowners are also conned into sharing their personal information, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

“Do not get tricked into making payments or sharing personal information,” the BBB warned last May. “It could be a goldmine for fraudsters if they connect with a census taker who is unaware of the signs of a scam.”

Individuals are at risk of identity theft if they unknowingly share information with the wrong person or on an unofficial website, said the BBB’s Karla Laird.

In one case on August 6 in Alderwood, a homeowner was given ‘the finger’ by a fake census worker who was asked for her government of Canada identification card and couldn’t produce it. The woman, according to the homeowner, was not wearing a uniform or badge, refused to give her name or employee number and gave the resident ‘a finger’ as she took off.

A complaint was filed and Census officials said they are investigating.

The BBB said those who have not filled out the census questionnaires can expect a warning letter, phone call, home visit or an email.

“Census staff will not contact you by text message, on instant messaging aps like WhatsApp or direct messages on social media,” the bureau said in its warning.

They said census workers will share their name, employee number and reason for calling.

“Statistics Canada will send someone to your home as a laser resort,” according to their website. “Staff will not be entering your homes, but will be wearing personal protective equipment and branded clothing so you can readily identify them.”

“Threats of arrest and payment demands are clear signs of a scam,” according to the BBB. “Statistics Canada and Census staff will never threaten you with jail time or demand that you make immediate payment using credit cards, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or any other payment method to complete the questionnaire.”

They said anyone who refuses to complete a census questionnaire can be fined up to $500 by a court, but Census staff do not have the authority to issue this penalty.

Failure to complete the census will not impact your tax file or other benefits, Laird said.  People should not respond to emails or any other communications that say otherwise.

The census will collect information like your name, address, age, sex at birth, gender, marital status, military experience and languages spoken. It will never ask for your banking, credit card information or Social Insurance Number (SIN)”

If you are having issues you can phone Statistics Canada at 1-877-949-9492 (toll-free).