I heard an advertisement on the radio just yesterday, recruiting people who’d like to work part-time as census-takers for the 2010 Census. It gave a phone number and a website to contact them. Since it used a “.gov” domain, I know the ad was legitimate.

I also know that every single thing the government tries to do is almost immediately used by criminals to mount some sort of scam. See also: Social Security, USPS jobs, economic stimulus funding, tax returns and just about anything else you can think of.

So consider this a preemptive strike: somebody, very soon, is going to start running a “Census Bureau Jobs” scam.

If you get an email offering you a job as a census-taker, just delete it. It won’t be legitimate. Neither will any newspaper ads that direct you to someone who wants you to pay for information on these jobs (like the old Postal Service jobs scam).

There are only three ways to get the official information, and they all involve contacting the Bureau directly:

• Online: visit http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/. See that “.gov” at the end? That means it’s a legit US government website.
• Call 1-866-861-2010
• Contact your local Census Office. This information is available at the above website, so it’s sort of a repeat of #1.

I haven’t even heard anything about anyone using Census Bureau jobs as the basis for a scam yet, but I know it will happen.

So, now you know in advance. Now that’s vigilance!