As hundreds of fieldworkers take to the community to conduct this year’s census during February, residents are encouraged to remain vigilant.
According to Fidelity ADT head of marketing and community Charnel Hattingh, as fieldworkers make their way from door to door it can open up opportunities for criminals.
According to Hattingh, one of the most common ways that criminals can gain entry to properties is to pose as municipal or fieldworkers.
“While Census 2022 is a digital population count giving respondents the option to complete the census questionnaire with or without the assistance of a fieldworker, many people will experience a fieldworker arriving at their gate.”
In the case of a fieldworker arriving at your home, verification is extremely important.
This year Statistics South Africa has provided a list of fieldworkers by province, enabling homeowners to easily verify their identification online before allowing them access.
Visit the Statistics South Africa Field Worker Verification System for more.
Hattingh added that the census process also provided an opportunity for telephone scammers to impersonate Statistics SA.
“The most suspicious behaviour a fake census worker can exhibit is asking intrusive and inappropriate questions. Avoid revealing personal information to a scam artist by knowing what questions census workers are allowed to ask – in person or over the phone.”
Your safety is important to us! Here's how you can identify a #StatsSA #SACensus2022 fieldworker. They have been issued with photo ID with their name & unique number. This info can be used to verify them on the Fieldworker Verification System: https://t.co/ZPGB4d6Vx3#GetCounted pic.twitter.com/v30X7peGld
— Stats SA (@StatsSA) February 7, 2022
Everyone who resides on the property and staff who are there during the day need to be aware of the census and be reminded of the household security protocols.
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