I got the same call while on hold the recording mentions Profile America I goggled it while on hold its a data gathering services.
WHEN i SPOKE TO THEM They kept asking me to verify phone numbers that were not mine.

I TOLD THEM TO HAVE A GOOD DAY

they call all the time with the same U. S. Census and case # T______________________.   I asked for them to stop calling they said they couldn't do that.  I asked for a supervisor, was left on hold 22 minutes until I hung up.  They call everyday at night 9 or 10 pm all day Sundays.  WTF?  I just reported to FTC

They called again today at 2:54 pm (PST) from 812-218-3144 and provided 1-800-681-3012 as the number to call back with their case#. Suzanne said the voluntary survey takes approximately 17 minutes to provide assistance with the consumer price index. This call is recorded with your permission. They ask, which State you live in, which County, how long (5 year; more or less), what was the month you moved into the area; information is verified. How many people in your household. Questions about purchases made since moved into the area; including items such as gifts, but exclude items as gifts. Apparel (bathing suits for men or women), names of places where active sportswear were purchased? How much was spent at each over the past year? How was that purchased? Where was it located? What was the name of the shopping center? What street or intersection and city is that in? Have you purchase outdoor grills, lawn or garden supplies, fertilizer, plants, bulbs; names of the places of those places purchased from in the last 6 months? How much spent on lawn insecticide at each vendor (which you mentioned)? Has anyone had expenses for pet services such as grooming, bedding or training? Purchased any men's accessories (ties, wallets), socks underwear, sleepwear were purchased (in the last 3 months) and how much was spent at which vendors? In the past 3 months, has anyone purchased women's hosiery or accessories were purchased (gloves, umbrella, glasses, scarves), women's underwear, nightwear (bras may be included). Excluding all numbers you use for business, how many landlines and cell phones does your household. Do you own? Marital status? Are you Spanish, Hispanic or Latino? Are White, Black, African American, etc. ... What is your age? How many members of your household are 62 or older? We plan to contact you in the future about your spending habits (in about 3 months; four (4) times a year). What is your last name and your mailing address? Best time to call? Additional information may be found at, "Welcome to the Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS)": http://www.bls.gov/respondents/cpi/tpops/home.htm

I received a call & voicemail from 520-798-4152. I listened to the message and called the 800# the agent left - back. My phone number was erroneously publicly listed and the agent I called at 1-800-681-3012 said my phone number was randomly selected from a "list" of phone numbers to participate in a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics. I provided the Case ID# the agent that left a voicemail indicated to refer to when calling back and the first question "Amanda" asked was whether my phone number was a landline and whether its purpose was for a business, etc., etc. and before answering I asked whether my participation was required and she said, "No, it's voluntary" so I explained that because I am hostile, because I believe everything sold for money should be free - I prefer to not participate and she said that was okay.

Have received 2-4 calls per day for the last 3 weeks from a few different #'s around the country, leaving me messages to call this 800# regarding a Census Bureau case #.  All messages were left by real people, not automated.  I thought they were legit calls until today when I was playing back my voice mails and paid closer attention to the messages being left so I could get the hours of the call center so I could possibly find the time to call them.  Three callers left three different times as to this "census bureau's" hours. One said they were open til 9pm, one said 10pm and one said 12 a.m. Sounded fishy to me. I won't be calling them now, especially since I looked up the actual phone #'s from where they called and found several comments about the questionability of all the calls.

I called the 1-800-681-3012 number.   .... after receiving 9 phone calls and two cards.   I was told the survey was voluntary.  I said I wasn't interested.   End of episode.   What a clumsy, innefective way to gain inforjation.  Government ineptitude strikes again.

I called back and it is a legit survey by the dept. of labor done by the census folks.  Problem is that if you participate at the end they tell you that they are going to do 2 or 3 more calls regarding where you buy your pasta etc.

Received numerous messages from this supposed US Census Bureau told to call 1-800-681-3012 and told to refer to case ID #: T1-----. I feel funny calling them not knowing that this is really the US Census Bureau.

Message on my voicemail stating that this was the US Census Bureau and asking me to refer to a "case number" when calling back. I called back and, after being told that all operators were busy, I eventually got THEIR voice mail. Seriously?

I have received no less than 6 calls from the "U.S. Census Bureau" telling me to call this number.  No reason given as to why they want me to call.  Quite frankly, if they need me that badly, they can send me something in the mail.  Otherwise, I wish they would knock it off.

If it is a survey on "consumer spending" why not indicate that and that it is voluntary.  What an incredible waste of taxpayer's hard earned money.  Typical!!!

Can you verify that this is a legitimate phone number for a survey that is being conducted for the U.S. Department of Labor on Consumer Prices? Thank you

It might be nice if the government asked if we wished to participate in a telephone survey that last OVER 10 minutes!  These people are pests and even when you tell them to stop calling they call anyways - So much for the Do Not Call list the government is exempt.  Put a whistle by the phone and blow it into the phone when they call!

I and millions of others don't answer OUT OF AREA or UNAVAILABLE phone calls.  If anyone is legitimate, they'll identify themselves and why they are calling.  This sounds too phony.  If they were legit, CALLER ID  would show US CENSUS BUREAU, wouldn't it?

Thanks so much for the info!  I recieved two messsages from this number and was wondering if it was legit or not.

Here is why the survey is so important and done-this is copied and pasted from the MSN news website.Please read so you will not refuse to do the survey when we call. Stop America from being so slothful and mean.


WASHINGTON - Americans opened their wallets and pocketbooks a bit more in June, increasing their spending for the second straight month while saving a bit less, even as incomes fell sharply.

Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for about 70 percent of total economic activity. Many economists warned that despite the slight increase in June, falling wages and rising unemployment likely will keep spending sluggish for the rest of this year.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that consumers boosted their spending 0.4 percent in June, slightly ahead of analysts' estimates. That comes after spending rose 0.1 percent in May.

Personal income fell 1.3 percent, the steepest drop in more than four years. Incomes rose by the same amount in May, boosted by one-time payments from the government. Economists expected personal incomes, the fuel for future spending, to fall 1 percent.

Incomes benefited in May from a one-time payment of $250 that was mailed to 50 million Americans receiving Social Security and other government benefits, as part of the Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus package.

Excluding the impact of the stimulus, personal income would have fallen 0.1 percent in June after a flat reading in May, the department said.

Wages and salaries fell 0.4 percent in June from May, the eighth straight monthly drop. That makes it unlikely consumers will ratchet up their spending anytime soon, economists said.

"The U.S. consumer will not be much of a help during the early stages of the economic recovery," Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at consulting firm MFR Inc., wrote in a note to clients.

Amid the longest recession since World War II, the personal savings rate has surged as Americans seek to rebuild their nest eggs after home values and stock portfolios plummeted last year. While saving can be good in the long run, rapid increases in saving can slow the economy.

The department said the personal savings rate fell to 4.6 percent in June, after jumping to 6.2 percent in May, which was the highest since February 1995. The rate dropped as low as 1 percent last year.

Spending may increase in July and August due to the government's "cash for clunkers" program, which has spurred thousands of Americans to trade in old cars for newer vehicles, Shapiro said. But the savings rate is likely to keep rising later this year.

Investors appeared unfazed by the economic report and focused on locking in some profits after a 14 percent climb in stocks since July 13. The Dow Jones industrial average and broader indices dipped slightly in morning trading.

The department also revised its spending and income data back to 1929, as it did last week when it reported second-quarter gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy's output. The changes show that Americans saved slightly more than previously thought.

For example, the department revised the savings rate in 2008 to 2.7 percent from 1.8 percent.

The government reported last week that the overall economy, as measured by the GDP, shrank at an annual rate of 1 percent in the second quarter, far less severe than the 6.4 percent decline in the first quarter and a 5.4 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Sluggish consumer spending has held back the sales of food and beverage companies. Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, said Monday that sales fell 3 percent in its third quarter. The company posted a strong profit due to cost cuts.

And sales for MillerCoors, the U.S. joint venture owned by Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller, increased by only 1 percent in the most recent quarter, Molson Coors reported Monday.

received 2 calls at my out of state home from 2 individuals stating they are from US Census Bureau, and they gave an ID number and requested a call back.  I telephoned the National Processing Center of the US Census Bureau,(1-866-226-2864) and gave them the phone number I was called at and they repeated back to me the ID number which had been left on my answering machine.  The Census Bureau said that the 800-681-3012 number is a legitimate Census Bureau phone number and the survey they called me about is a Consumer Price Index survey, which is voluntary.

I suggested that the Census Bureau might do something to add this number to their website.  I was also told to call directory assistance to verify.  Haven't done it yet.  

So even though the Census Bureau used this number for Guam and the Islands in 2002, it is still their number.