Scammers try to cash in on other people’s devastation after every natural disaster. Officials are warning the public scams are already following Hurricane Ian.
“Scammers love playing on the emotions of their victims and after a natural disaster. There are a lot of emotions going on,” Bryan Oglesby with the“It’s been real busy,” he described. “We have a lot of consumers calling us, asking questions.”
In the aftermath, Oglesby often sees what he calls “storm chasers.” They are the so-called contractors who swoop in, say they’ll fix your home, take your money and leave before doing any work. “This is a time for a consumer to really search out and look for legitimate, trustworthy contractors,” he advised. “They shouldn’t feel pressure to just hire someone on the spot. Just because someone claims they have a license; they need to verify it.”“Scammers are opportunists,” Colleen Tressler with the Federal Trade Commission said.
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