2023 Census: keep an eye out for fakes
Te Whanganui-a-Tara - CERT NZ is warning New Zealanders to watch out for fake websites and social media accounts claiming to represent the official Census.
Scammers target large events, using the opportunity to harvest information and sometimes even defraud people out of money. But it’s not as scary as it seems and with a little bit of awareness the fakes can be avoided, CERT NZ director Rob Pope says.
“The Census is vitally important to the country, and it’s sad that some would try to disrupt it for criminal purposes. So just take a moment to check the information you’re getting is from an official source.”
Stats NZ’s deputy government statistician and deputy chief executive Census and collection operations Simon Mason says these are the only communication channels Stats NZ will use.
“People will not receive any unsolicited text messages or private messages on social media from the Census team,” Mason says.
Stats NZ has already spotted, and had removed, fake accounts trying to imitate the official Twitter channel.
If people see a social media account they suspect is fake, report it to CERT NZ immediately. The same applies if people receive an email, phone call, text message, or instant message from someone claiming to be from Census asking for financial details – these are all scams and should be reported to CERT NZ, Mason says.
Census Day is tomorrow, 7 March, but people need to stay vigilant. Following Census Day, Stats NZ follows up with people and households who did not complete their census forms on time, through to April.
There is also an extension to June for people in communities affected by cyclone Gabrielle and recent weather events.
CERT NZ is working closely with Stats NZ to ensure that the Census is run smoothly and without disruption from cyber incidents.
The official Census 2023 channels are:
Website – https://www.census.govt.nz/
Online census forms – https://online.census.govt.nz/
Twitter – @2023Census
Facebook – @2023Census (plus eight Community Engagement pages, linked from the @2023Census page)
Instagram – @2023Census
Tiktok – @2023Census
Reddit – u/2023Census
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.