Caithness residents are warned not to get caught out by Census scammers as the official count of Scotland’s population begins this week.
Advice Direct Scotland (ADS), which runs the national consumer advice service consumeradvice.scot, urged people to be aware of the signs of potential fraudsters attempting to gather personal or financial information.
The charity said scammers may request money for a fine or fee, or ask for personal financial information like a national insurance number, bank details or debit or credit card details to be provided.
It stressed that Scotland’s Census will never ask for money or this type of personal financial information.
ADS said people should only provide personal information in the formal online Scotland’s Census questionnaire, and explained that this will only be sent as a paper copy if the person specifically requests it.
The charity also said Scotland’s Census field team will only visit someone at home after March 20 if they have not completed their questionnaire, of if they have been selected for the Census Coverage Survey.
Here, ADS answers a series of questions on what a Census scam might look like, and what someone should do if they suspect they have been targeted:
What could a Census scam look like?
A scammer may request payment of money for a fine or fee, or personal financial information, such as your national insurance number, bank details, or…
