2016 Census Night
We can all expect in early August a letter stating, "would you like a paper form or go online to Log In"..
Many people seem to be scared about the Census and want to know what happens to our private information. If people refuse to fill in all the information they can expect a hefty fine of $180.00. I personally have no worries filling in the form but hope they can guarantee all my information is safe. If you have visitors staying overnight they have to be included in the form. How do you feel about the Census?
Beware of fake Census scammers...trying to get hold of peoples' information.
Fake census workers try to trick people into sharing their personal details
ENTERPRISING scammers are using the upcoming census as a means to con people out of their personal details.
The Herald Sun has learned “professional” sounding people are calling homes offering help completing the census.
It can also reveal that an embarrassing IT error last week left some personal details of hundreds of Census staff exposed on the eve Australia’s national survey.
Census management was forced to apologise to employees after a “human error” in a group email which asked for emergency contact details left the addresses of staff visible to others.
It is understood the error occurred when an email was sent to a number of recipients with email addresses in the “To” field rather than the “Bcc” field.
In what could be a twin blow for public confidence in the Census as its alienates older Australians with a move online, the simple “phishing scam” involves somebody phoning up from a private number purporting to be a census worker from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The person claims that “due to all the problems” with census, they are available to assist filling with out the form over the phone.
“We just need some basic details such as you name, date of birth, address and licence number.”
The con artist then promises to phone back on census night to go through the online form.
But Australian Bureau of Statistics have confirmed they do not telephone anybody to complete the census over the phone.
Census Victoria director Annette Kelly said anybody needing help with the Census should ask a trusted family member or friend.
She said Census field officers must carry signed ABS identification cards at all times when conducting Census duties and carry bright yellow satchels.
Last week Australian Bureau of Statistics staff, who oversee the Census, were ask to urgently delete an email they had received which left exposed personal details of employees.
Staff were reassured that the ABS took the security of their personal information “very seriously”.
“Census HR has notified ABS Senior Management and has taken internal actions to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” the email, seen by the Herald Sun, said.
The Bureau of Statistics expects the August 9 census to be Australia’s biggest ever online event, with more than 15 million people completing paperless forms.
But phone lines have been overloaded as many people request printed forms instead.
I am waiting with some anticipation to see how the IT systems perform when 10 million people try to log on tomorrow night.