In recent months, some people across the United States have received text messages claiming to be from a member of former President Donald Trump’s family that request their participation in an official nationwide census.
A VERIFY viewer sent us a text message from a San Diego area code claiming to be from Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., that reads, “I can’t lie to you guys. This election is going to be a tough one so it is REALLY important we hear from you. We need you to take the Official 2022 Nationwide Census.” The text message includes a link to a website affiliated with winitback2022.org.
THE QUESTION
Is a text message claiming to be from the Trump family an official U.S. Census survey?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, a text message claiming to come from the Trump family is not an official U.S. Census survey.
WHAT WE FOUND
The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed that the text message and attached survey are not official Census messages. A spokesperson told VERIFY that legitimate Census messages are sent from the number 39242 and only direct people to .gov links.
The official U.S. Census takes place every 10 years and the next one isn’t until 2030. People may hear from the U.S. Census Bureau through several ongoing surveys even when it’s not a census year, but that’s not what this text message is linking to.
The link in this text message redirects users to an “Official 2022 NRSC Nationwide Census” on winred.com, a GOP fundraising platform. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) also posted a link to the same survey on its Facebook page, writing, “Complete the Official 2022 NRSC Nationwide Census NOW and take back the GOP's Majority this year!”
Win Red, the office of former President Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have not responded to questions from VERIFY about the survey.
Roseann Freitas, a spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau (BBB), said the organization has not received any reports about the text message or website. The website domain winitback2022.org was created on Dec. 23, 2021, according to an ICANN database search.
Brand-new websites and a lack of transparency can be indicators of a scam, Freitas said.
So, we can VERIFY that a text message claiming to come from the Trump family that urged people to take a “nationwide Census” is not an official U.S. Census Bureau survey.
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