# Anyone getting phone calls from government health survey?



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Statscan is running a Canadian Community Health Survey and keeps phoning our house.

It's starting to get annoying, as they don't seem to respect privacy. Is anyone else getting these phone calls? Here are some notes posted by others on the internet. Here is how my interaction usually goes, and I've gotten about 6 of these calls in the last few months.


govt agent: "We're taking a health survey. To start with we need the ages and genders of each person in your household"

me: "I'm sorry, though I can give you answers about myself, I can not give you information about anyone else. That's private information and you will have to ask them"

govt agent: "But see we don't need in depth personal information, we just need to roster the household and then our computer will pick one individual to ask more detail about."

me: "I understand, but I don't think you'll be able to get that roster, as it's private info. Ask away if you want."

govt agent: "Do you live with anyone else?"

me: "Yes"

govt agent: "Could you list their age(s)?"

me: "No. That's private information and I'm not authorized to answer that on behalf of others. You'll have to ask them individually"


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

If I got such a call, it would go like this:

'govt agent' (yeah right): "We're taking a health survey. T
me: click


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

me :I am too sick to take part in a survey .:smiley_simmons:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

james4beach said:


> Statscan is running a Canadian Community Health Survey and keeps phoning our house.
> 
> It's starting to get annoying, as they don't seem to respect privacy. ....
> 
> ...


and




> *Retired Peasant:* 'govt agent' (yeah right): "We're taking a health survey. T
> me: click


 :encouragement:

:highly_amused: :highly_amused: :highly_amused:


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I used to resent these phone surveys, then I thought, how often is anybody willing to listen to my opinions about anything?


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

My first response is ... "so how much does this pay?"


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Similar to my sentiments... but nobody else here has actually gotten these calls?


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## Jim9guitars (May 5, 2012)

My landline phone has a feature called "night mode" that allows me to set from what time and to what time the ringer is audible. I have set to no ringer audible most of the time, when a call comes in and no one leaves a message, it's probably a call I don't need to take. It's very peaceful.


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

james4beach said:


> Similar to my sentiments... but nobody else here has actually gotten these calls?


James4Beach, we received a number of those calls during the month of May - and suspected a spam. First call came in on a Sunday. Phone display showed: "Statscan or Statcan". Apparently, it was a survey about Healthcare* in our province*
When I questioned the time of call and told the caller that I didn't want to answer questions right now she said: "You cannot simply hang up, you need to at least confirm your phone number". 
me: "Why do you need me to repeat my phone number, you have it, you just phoned me"

The caller became then very insistent that "this is Statscan and although the survey is not mandatory I would have to give her my phone number and to say how many people in the household, etc."

I hung up. Then she called back, the next day, and the day after, and the day after, at different times, sometimes quite late in the evening. At one point my husband talked to her and said that we do not trust her. 

Eventually, she said we should call the provincial Statscan office and she gave me the 1-800# for it. The number was correct but anybody who wanted to pretend to be Statscan can get it from the website. I asked for names of her supervisors in the provincial office and she gave me two names.

Instead we investigated first with the main Statscan office and asked about this survey. They said that they couldn't confirm which survey but that "it could be...but that one usually would get a letter beforehand". Statscan Ottawa recommended to phone the Statscan office in our province which we did. Only voice mail responded with the request to leave a message and they would call back. I left the whole story on their voice mail and asked if the names the caller had given me is working in their office. I requested that one of these people returns my phone call to confirm that our household is being surveyed. 

We never heard anything again! There is enough identity theft around. If Statscan wants citizens to entrust them with their personal information they have to make a bigger effort.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Well that's interesting, thanks. Yes we have to be very wary of identity theft.

We actually did receive a letter talking about this survey, which made it seem more legit. But still I'm not fully convinced. Yes the letter shows our household was selected, but is the caller really legitimate?

With all the identity theft and scams around, I think it's really bad for the government to try and encourage this kind of behaviour (answering very personal questions on a phone call originated by a stranger you didn't dial). Any private info of any kind should only be given when *you* dial out.


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

james4beach;193931We actually did receive a letter talking about this survey said:


> We didn't get a letter - that's why we investigated. I think with letter+phone call you can be quite safely assuming that it is legitimate.


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