Voices From the Line - March 2026 - Week 3

Recently, our call center was contacted by a first-time caller looking for programs to help him acquire a vehicle.  The caller had recently searched the internet for “free cars” and came across a website asking for his personal information.  Luckily, before he gave out too much information, he decided to call someone he knew he could trust – 211 – for support.  Unfortunately, there are no programs that offer this type of assistance, but our Community Resource Navigator was able to take the time to thoroughly research what is available in his area and take the time to explain to him about online scams and how important it is to safeguard your personal information. 

Many of our calls are from the elderly, and our agents are trained to take the extra time needed to caution them about online scams, and to encourage them to call us if they see an offer for assistance online that they are unsure about.  People who are in a desperate situation are easy to take advantage of and one of our jobs is to ensure that they are not preyed upon by someone who will only make their life harder. 

The adage holds true, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”