Statistics Canada study mistaken for a scam
Like every other skeptical person these days, the woman immediately saw red flags, so she called the Sherbrooke Police Service, which referred her to an antifraud number.
ASherbrooke resident recently received a letter from the federal government saying her household had been chosen to participate in the International Study of Adults, a pilot project conducted by Statistics Canada.
The letter said the resident would be compensated to the tune of $50, and that an interviewer from Statistics Canada would either call or stop by the home in the coming weeks.
Like every other skeptical person these days, the woman immediately saw red flags, so she called the Sherbrooke Police Service, which referred her to an anti-fraud number.
She was told yes, this is most likely a scam, ignore the letter and hang up the phone if anyone calls.
Wanting to make sure, the Sherbrooke woman put in a call to Compton-stanstead MP Marie-claude Bibeau’s office and when she described what she had received, the person on the phone agreed it was most likely a scam.
Well, according to Christina Philbrick, Assistant Director of Statistics Canada, Eastern Sector, it’s not a scam.
An initial inquiry to the Statistics Canada media hotline provided the following information regarding the International Study of Adults:
1. The survey is a legitimate study that this sponsored by our esteemed agency and is part of an international comparison program at the OECD level.
2. The voluntary nature of the survey program combined with the compensation of $50 provides an incentive to respondents that translates into higher response rates.
3. Even though the survey is completed on laptops, we also confirm that Statistics Canada sends interviewers to the homes of survey respondents.
Philbrick, in an interview the following day, acknowledged that aspects of the letter resemble some common scams, but assured the study is legitimate.
She added that Statistics Canada posts the studies it is conducting on its website, and also sends the list to local authorities, updated monthly. Flagging the study outright as a scam was likely a lack of due diligence on the part of people the Sherbrooke resident called, because in most cases, it is a scam.
The letter, Phlibrick agreed, does have all the classic signs of a scam; it is addressed “to the Householders” instead of to a specific person; there is the promise of money, and the suggestion a certified Statistics Canada interviewer would be stopping by. Most people expect the next contact to say oh, yes, but in order to receive the $50, you must fill out this form with your banking information, and so on, or the interviewer calls inquiring when you will be home—and when you might be out—so they can organize a burglary.
While there isn’t anything on the letter that couldn’t be falsified, Philbrick pointed out that the government website does verify the legitimacy of the study, and there are also phone numbers, other than the one included in the letter, that people could call for confirmation.
There is also a QR code on the letter leading directly to the Statistics Canada website.
Unfortunately, the woman who received the letter is not familiar enough with technology to make those verifications online.