Statistics Canada Warns Canadians to be Alert for Fake Pollsters

January 21, 2009

Dear Constituents:

Statistics Canada has issued a warning to the public to be aware of callers posing as pollsters representing the federal agency. Some Canadians have recently been contacted by people claiming to work for StatsCan who say they are conducting research for various polls or for the census.

While StatsCan does conduct regular surveys, it does not collect personal information such as social insurance numbers, credit card numbers, or bank account information. If you are contacted and asked for such information, do not provide it.

Please report any suspicious calls to StatsCan through their toll-free line at 1-800-263-1136 or by e-mail at infostats@statcan.gc.ca. More information can also be found at: http://www42.statcan.ca/smr09/smr09_002-eng.htm. In the event that you have already disclosed any private information to a caller whose legitimacy you are not convinced of, contact local police immediately in addition to your financial institution.


Yours truly,
Hon. Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P.
Edmonton-Spruce Grove