A proposal for New York City ยท not yet operating

Call Me First

Every older New Yorker should have someone who speaks their language to call before they pay.

The problem

Scammers now clone a grandchild's voice, or pose as police, the IRS or a consulate. Older people lose the most, and those who speak little English are the easiest to reach and the hardest to warn.

$7.7 billionlost by Americans 60+ in 2025, reported to the FBI1
+59%increase in those losses in one year1
74%of Chinese-speaking older New Yorkers have limited English2
38%of Spanish-speaking older New Yorkers have limited English2

The plan

A 12-month pilot in Queens: Flushing, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Astoria.

  1. A "Call Me First" lineA number answered in Chinese, Spanish, Korean and Bengali by trained bilingual volunteers. Seniors call before they pay, click or share anything. An AI helper recognizes known scam scripts and translates; a person always makes the call.
  2. Workshops where seniors already gatherSenior centers, churches, temples and libraries. Seniors hear a real cloned voice and learn the three red flags: urgency, secrecy, and payment by gift card, crypto ATM or wire.
  3. Family kitsA family safe word, a trusted contact at the bank, and phone settings that silence unknown callers.
  4. A weekly scam-alert loopNew scripts reported to the line become short alerts in ethnic media and WeChat, WhatsApp, LINE and KakaoTalk groups.

After the pilot, the training and scripts will be published openly so every borough can copy the model. The program is meant to work alongside New York State's text-based scam checker, reaching seniors who would rather talk to a person.

The one habit

Wallet card Never pay by gift card, crypto ATM or wire.
Hang up.
Call me first.

Who is behind it

Chuan-Hsing (David) Chen lives in Astoria, Queens. He spent about 15 years in bank risk management, building and validating credit-loss models, and he writes the software himself. He speaks Mandarin, Taiwanese and English and is active in his church community.

Worried about a call right now?

The Call Me First line is not open yet. Until it is:

  • Hang up. Call your bank using the number on the back of your card.
  • Call a family member or someone you trust before you pay anyone.
  • If you are in danger, call 911. For other help in New York City, call 311.
  • Report scams to the FBI at ic3.gov or the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.