Every year, many homes and commercial buildings are damaged by severe storms. Property owners become the victims of uninsured, inexperienced contractors and outright scammers who come to prey on uninformed people.
Poor quality contractors and scammers can cause permanent damage, devalue your property, steal your money and put you at personal, legal and financial risk… not to mention all the headaches!
Many scams begin with a knock at your door, or an unsolicited call on the phone, claiming to be a contractor. Unfortunately, many scam companies imitate legitimate contractors, so protect yourself by checking your contractor out, before agreeing to an inspection.
Scam Warning Signs
The following list represents the most common indicators that the person or company you are speaking with might be running a scam.
- No insurance or under-insured
- No local office (beware of P.O. boxes and hotel addresses)
- Won’t provide local references
- Demands up-front cash or deposit
Out-of-State Contractors
If you decide to hire a contractor that is based out of state, make sure they have a local office, or reciprocal relationship with a local contractor, who will perform warranty repairs, if your contractor should leave the state. It is important to remember your workmanship warranty is worthless, if your out-of-state contractor leaves the state and does not have a local representative to honor the warranty.
Storm Chaser Scam Warning Signs
Storm chasers are like ambulance chasers. They flock to areas of the country that have been recently hit by damaging storms and attempt to scam people that are in need of serious help
- A temporary office or P.O. box
- Out-of-state phone numbers
- Out-of-state license plates
- Staying in a hotel, or motel
- No local references
- Don’t know your area
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