Question: I got a text supposedly from the Census Bureau asking about COVID-19. Is this for real? I thought they didn’t text you. Or maybe that’s the IRS? Please clarify.
Answer: Unlike the Internal Revenue Service, which doesn’t initiate contact via text or email, the U.S. Census Bureau does send texts or emails asking people to participate in certain surveys. That includes its ongoing Household Pulse Survey, which assesses how U.S. households are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection for Phase 3.3 of this survey began Dec. 1 and is scheduled to continue through Feb. 7, according to the Census Bureau.
That fact alone doesn’t confirm that the text you received is legitimate, because scammers may mimic the Census Bureau in an attempt to rip off you and others. However, you should be able to confirm whether the text is genuine by checking the sender before clicking on any link, and looking for other red flags, the agency says.
If your address has been selected to participate in the Household Pulse Survey, you would receive a text message from 39242 or an email from COVID.survey@census.gov, it says.
All communications from the Census Bureau about this survey, “including all emails, texts, and the link to the survey, will originate from a census.gov domain or be sent via text from 39242,” it says. Any link would direct you to an official federal government website ending in .gov.
The Census Bureau says it will never ask for your full Social Security number, bank account number or passwords. The agency lists other ways to verify a Census Bureau mailing, survey or contact at 808ne.ws/cencheck, which includes a staff directory.
If the text you received is legitimate, you can reply “Stop” to opt out of receiving text messages. If you don’t respond at all, the Census Bureau may send you up to three reminders.
The agency says the Household Pulse Survey is vital because it rapidly provides data about how the pandemic is affecting households across the country. The online survey should take about 20 minutes to complete, it says, and asks about “how childcare, education, employment, energy use, food security, health, housing, household spending, Child Tax Credit payments, and intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, have been affected by the ongoing crisis.”
Q: Regarding Safe Travels for cruise ships, does that apply to strictly interisland trips?
A: No, according to Hawaii’s Department of Transportation. As with domestic air travel, the Safe Travels program for cruise ships applies to passengers and crew entering the state, not traveling within the islands.
The state “will be requiring participation in the state’s Safe Travels digital platform to upload proof of vaccination or negative test results for cruise lines arriving in Hawaii from outside the state. Safe Travels participation will not apply to cruise lines sailing interisland,” DOT said in a statement Tuesday.
Q: Regarding stun guns, is there any background check?
A: Yes, for both the buyer and seller in licensed transactions, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.
Q: Did they extend that federal income tax break for unemployment?
A: No. “Unemployment compensation is fully taxable in 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allowed an exclusion of unemployment compensation of up to $10,200 for 2020 only,” the IRS says.
Mahalo
After grabbing two items at Costco Iwilei on Christmas Eve, I realized that the credit-card case I had been holding was missing. I backtracked within the store but had no luck finding my credit cards. Then I went to the courtesy counter for help. They told me that a customer had found the case in the aisles and turned it in. A big mahalo to the person who found it. — Christin of Kaneohe
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
