FBI warns about online census scams

The Internet Crime Complaint Center Monday warned Americans to be careful about potential Web and other scams related to the 2010 census.

The center, a joint venture between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, warned that census takers will not contact U.S. residents seeking census information via e-mail or seek donations. It also notes that census takers will not ask for personally identifiable information such as your Social Security or bank number and so users should not respond to e-mail or other solicitations for such information.

"Criminals often capitalize on legitimate campaigns to spread computer viruses through

e-mails, text messages, 'pop-ups,' fraudulent Web sites, or infected legitimate Web sites," according to an alert from the center. It added that viruses can be embedded in e-mail attachments, links, or even pictures and that anti-virus software may not detect all viruses especially those that are newly created. The center said U.S. residents should be wary of similar tactics being used on social networking sites as well.

The alert also warned users to watch out for e-mail and other scams offering potential jobs with the Census Bureau. "The Census Bureau has a hiring process, which includes taking a test in person, not online," the center added.