Missouri SMP: Beware of imposters as Census draws near

The Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) wants to give you a heads-up this month about the 2020 U.S. Census.
Every household should receive in the mail an invitation to participate in the Census beginning in mid-March. The preferred method of replying will be online. Everyone should be counted in the Census because doing helps state and local governments receive their share of federal funding and representation in Congress.
However, the Census also provides an opportunity for imposters to try to get your personal information, such as your Medicare number, which they will use to commit fraud.
The Census contains basic questions, including dates of birth, about members of your household. However, you will NOT be asked for Medicare numbers, bank account information, or credit card numbers, money, or anything on behalf of a political party. The Census Bureau will not be calling your home initially either.
If receive a survey from someone who says they are with the Census, yet you are unsure about whether it’s legitimate, you may contact the Census Bureau to confirm it.
You may go to census.gov and click on the “Help for Survey Participants” section to find resources to confirm the survey you receive is from the Census Bureau.
If you receive something in the mail, the return address should be either U.S. Department of Commerce or the U.S. Census Bureau with a return address in Jeffersonville, Indiana. For more information, visit www.2020census.gov.
As always, report suspected Medicare fraud to the Missouri SMP at 1-888-515-6565.
This project was supported, in part by grant number 90MPPG0040, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.