WHILE the Census 2022 fieldworkers are out and about collecting population and housing data, residents are advised to remain vigilant.
This is South Africa’s fourth population count post-democracy and the country’s first digital census where at least 165 000 fieldworkers have been deployed to count everyone within SA’s borders.
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Fidelity ADT has urged residents to remain vigilant with regards to how they plan to provide their information to Stats SA.
“The conducting of the census can open up opportunities for criminals,” Fidelity ADT’s Charnel Hattingh.
She noted that one of the most common ways criminals gain entry to properties is to pose as municipal or other service providers, like Census agents.
“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,” she said.
“Verification is vital, as is the case with any other person claiming to be a service provider or council worker.”
This year, the official website, statssa.gov.za, provides a list of field workers by province so homeowners can easily verify their identity online before allowing them in.
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Should you not find the person on the website, there are further steps you can take to verify their identification. The census process also opens up opportunities for telephone scammers who can use technology to make you believe they are actually calling from Stats SA.
Hattingh said there are a few red flags that give fraudsters away.
“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,” advised Hattingh.
“If the rule is you don’t open the gate for strangers no matter what their story is, stick to this, at least until you are satisfied the person is a legitimate census fieldworker,” she warned.
“And if you have registered and completed the questionnaire online then someone wanting to redo the process at your gate should be a red flag. There is always a risk associated with opening your gate to strangers and even more so when you let them into your home,” added Hattingh.
She reminded residents of the importance of reporting criminal incidents to the police and your local security company.
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