Email scammers use census as bait

(CNS): The Economics and Statistics Office has warned residents not to respond to any e-mails claiming to be from enumerators from the census office. Enumerators are not using email to contact people regarding the census and there are concerns that scammers are using the national count as a way to get people to divulge information. The RCIPS Financial Crime Unit is also issuing a warning over an e-mail scam inviting people to join an investment scheme or partnership to recover unclaimed assets left by someone who has died. Residents are being warned again not to give personal details in emails otherwise they could become victims of fraud.

ESO Director Maria Zingapan said that census enumerators will not be contacting any residents via e-mail. “We therefore ask anyone who receives an e-mail claiming to be from the Census Office to immediately call their district census office to verify its source,” she cautioned.

The national census is almost at an end but there are still some people who need to be counted the office said and reminded residents who may still be reluctant to be counted that it is a legal requirement to answer census questions.

“Enumerators have done well covering the majority of households in the past five weeks. However, there are still some people left to be counted. Over the next two weeks we will focus our efforts on reaching out to those households,” Zingapan said. “If an enumerator hasn’t come to your door yet, you can call your district census office to make an appointment.”

District Census Offices and Opening Hours:
Weekdays and Saturdays: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
George Town: Paddington Place, 946-5107 (Daisylyn Chin or Selburn Christian)
West Bay: Centennial Towers, 914-7864 (Nicole Emmanuel-Jones or Theodore Thompson)
Eastern Districts: Countryside Shopping Village, 949-9229 (Adolphus Laidlow or Michael Godfrey)
Cayman Brac and Little Cayman: 948-0940 (Chevala Burke)

Residents can also report suspicious correspondence by e-mailing ESO staffer Crispin Boney at crispin.boney@gov.ky