Census scammers on the prowl

By Lia Bichel
POLICE are warning Casey residents to be wary of people claiming to be census collectors without proper identification.
Leading Senior Constable Mick Gledhill from Casey Crime Investigation Unit said there was a recent report of a person in Hampton Park, pretending to be a census collector to retrieve personal information.
“This is a reminder to people to not hand over information to anyone who doesn’t have proper credentials- whether they say they are from census or power companies or anything,” Lead Sen Const Gledhill said.
The warning comes a week after Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan urged residents to be wary of scammers. Mr Donnellan said he had received numerous phone calls from concerned residents.
“The calls seem to be higher right now regarding this issue. Residents are worried that people are trying to scam them,” Mr Donnellan said.
“People are telling me that the scammers are calling them claiming to be from the government. They say you are owed a tax rebate or something similar, and then ask you to give them money so they can then release funds to you.”
Leading Sen Const Gledhill said if anyone was contacted by someone as part of a scam, they should contact their local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.