AUSTIN, TX, January 23, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers knock on doors all across the country, Lionheart Assurance Solutions offers some advice to ensure people do not become victims of criminals attempting to steal their personal information.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a press release alerting the public to be on the lookout for people posing as census workers and then using the information to steal their identities. Lionheart Assurance Solutions, a firm specializing in employee legal plans and identity theft safeguards, says people need to take this danger seriously.
"Identity theft has become the fastest growing white-collar crime in America, and this is a golden opportunity for identity thieves," says Chuck Siegel, CEO of Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP.
While we should all certainly cooperate with census workers (this is required by law and failure could result in a fine), it is also important to know the difference between a real census worker and a con artist. There are several different ways that people can ensure they do not fall prey to potential census scams.
Ask to see identification before talking with the worker. All census workers carry official government badges (marked with only their name), a special handheld electronic device and a confidentiality notice. Under no circumstances will a census worker ask to enter your home.
Understand that real Census Bureau workers are only there to verify your address and how many people are living at the location. If a person comes to your door asking for anything else, such as a bank account or social security number, refuse to give them the information. Real census workers do not ask these types of questions.
The 2010 census form asks only 10 questions, all of which pertain to accurately recording the number of people living at a particular location.
The U.S. Census Bureau may come to your door or call you over the phone, but they will not contact you by email. Beware of any electronic communication asking for your personal information.
"This is certainly a timely item to include in our Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit." says Siegel. "Many Americans will be expecting to hear from the Census Bureau this year and may not have enough information to discern between legitimate and illegitimate requests for information."
To find out more ways you can safeguard yourself and your business from identity theft, view the Lionheart Assurance Scam Prevention toolkit at www.club301now.com.
About Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP:
Since 1997, Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP is a unique business services firm specializing in employee legal plans and identity theft restoration benefits for employers of all sizes nationwide.
Organizations that proactively educate their employees about identity theft threats can reduce their chances of a costly data breach. Lionheart Assurance Solutions' training is designed to impact the way employees think. Changing the way employees think can result in a change in behavior that could reduce the risk of security breaches leading to identity theft.
Guided by a senior management team with more than a century of proven business success, Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP offers employee legal and identity theft restoration plans designed to enhance worker productivity by helping employees keep their focus on their work instead of on personal problems.
For small to medium-sized clients, Lionheart also offers a full range of plans that help small businesses to "level the playing field" by providing access to the kinds of legal and consultative advice that typically only a large corporation can afford.
Visit www.lionheartassurancesolutions.com for more information.
Media Contact
Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP
Michael Hollingsworth
(888) 795-1563 (National)
P.O. Box 38, Hewitt, TX 76643
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