ATLANTA — Attorney General Chris Carr and Insurance Commissioner John King are urging Georgians to be on the lookout for potential home repair fraud, insurance scams, price gouging, and other schemes following the recent tornadoes and severe storms that moved throughout the state.
When bad storms or tornadoes cause widespread damage to homes, criminals may try to exploit the disaster with storm fraud. These scam artists, often referred to as “storm chasers,” may ask homeowners for up-front payments for home repair services and then disappear without ever doing the work, according to the press release from the Attorney General’s Office.
In other cases, scammers may charge exorbitant prices, charge you for unnecessary repairs or do substandard work. Sometimes scammers offer to cover the homeowner’s insurance deductible and persuade them to give fake reports to the insurance company, potentially implicating the homeowner in a case of insurance fraud, the press release states.
Carr and King are offering the following tips to help Georgians avoid home repair fraud and insurance scams. The first is to steer clear of any contractor who asks for full payment up-front, only accepts payment in cash, or refuses to provide you with a written contract, the press release states.
The second is to avoid door-to-door offers for home repair work. Instead, ask friends and neighbors for referrals, according to the press release. Be skeptical of any contractor that offers to pay your…
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