Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 29, 1990                   TAG: 9005290052
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

CON ARTISTS PRETEND TO BE CENSUS TAKERS TO PREY ON RESIDENTS

"Any time you have something this big, the scam artists are going to come out of the woodwork," said Larry Bryant of the census' regional office in Los Angeles.

There are 200,000 to 230,000 official census enumerators combing the countryside, knocking on doors of those people who failed to complete the form sent this spring, said agency spokesman Mark Mangold.

Isolated incidents of con artists posing as census workers have occurred during every census, said Ray Bancroft of the census promotion office.

In an effort to cut back on such crime, the agency provides each worker with a red, white and blue badge identifying the holder by name and I.D. number as a "U.S. Census Enumerator," and a large black satchel with a red, white and blue patch that says "U.S. Census 1990."

"Often the people who fall victim . . . are the elderly or the low-income population, the segment of the population that can least afford it," said Noe Balli of the census' regional office in Dallas.

In the North Carolina case, the woman allowed one man into her home and was having a "nice conversation" with him when the doorbell rang and the man told her it was his partner, said Tom Smith Jr. of the Charlotte, N.C., office.

"They tied her up and commenced taking some valuable things from the house as well as her car," Smith said.

A Houston resident complained that someone identifying himself as a census worker called credit information and credit card numbers, Balli said.

In Colorado, a woman identifying herself as a census worker asked an elderly woman for money. The request was refused and the resident called officials, said Ron Ritschard of the Denver census office.

Nevada residents complained about a mailing that said "Official Census Form" on the envelope but actually was sent by a clothing manufacturer, said Bob Clingman of the Seattle regional census office.

"There are some innocuous questions, and they say if you send it in on time, you can get a special price on two pairs of our new jeans for only $29.95," Clingman said.

Not everything that appears to be a scam is a scam, said B.J. Welborn of the Boston regional census office.

For example, people shouldn't necessarily be suspicious if a person identifying himself as a census worker asks for a Social Security number, she said. While the census under way this year does not require the number, it is needed for some surveys being conducted by the bureau.

However, Welborn warned people to be alert if the person asks for bank account numbers because no census survey seeks such information.

People should ask to see the worker's identification and, if they have questions, should call the local census office for verification or call the police before allowing the person inside their home, officials said.