The National Institute of Statistics, INE, is an independent body (currently part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation) that is responsible for generating all kinds of statistical information on demography, economy, and society in Spain for the State. This information, which anyone can consult from its website, is often used by the Government when making decisions. But how does this body get this information? Well, resorting to harassment, deceit and threats towards citizens. Or at least this is my story.
If you receive a letter from the INE in your mailbox, get ready, because problems begin. But, in my case, not even that, since, as they have notified me by phone, they have sent the letter to an incorrect address. In the letter they send, they ask you to do a survey through their website, in exchange for nothing (of course), and they provide you with some passwords that you must enter on their website to be able to enter and take the survey.
In my case, I did not receive any letter. But for a few weeks now, this INE has been calling me up to twice a day to ask me to do a survey about which I have no information. In the calls they refer to the letter, and tell me that they have sent it to my old address. These calls come from a long number, from a switchboard, and, although we cannot deny that they attend to you with a lot of politeness, they close in band to say that, either you do the survey, or you can have a fine of up to 30,000 euros for refusing.
Of course, when you tell them how to proceed without having the letter or the keys, they indicate that it is not their problem, that you have to do the survey, that that is why they “sent” the letter, and that it is mandatory, or they will report me. Nobody gives any solution. But hey, the important thing is, is it really mandatory to do the surveys?
Never ignore the INE letter, or you will have serious problems
If you are not involved in law and politics, as is my case, you surely do not know, but this National Statistics Institute selected 300,000 households from all over the country to participate in the 2021-2024 National Statistics Plan. Many of the selected people have passed on the letter (as is normal), and many have even gone to the Consumer Office to see if this was real or a scam.
Indeed, it is a real letter. And, most importantly, it is mandatory. The law, which dates from 1989, stipulates that the fines for refusing or not doing the survey can range from 60 euros to 30,000 euros (yes, the law places it, on that date, at 5,000,000 pesetas). It is true that the most common are fines of 30 or 60 euros, and no cases of fines exceeding 300 euros have been published, but the fine for not carrying out the surveys is more than certain. And better not to risk, we are not going to be the first to receive one of those of more than 300 euros.
Of course, these surveys take time (maybe half an hour or more), and the reward for doing them on time is not receiving the fine they threaten you with. There are absolutely no other rewards for participating in this survey, other than, if you’re lucky, a PHP-generated “thank you” upon completion.
