Hurricane Ian brought the deadliest destruction Florida has seen in years, and with it, likely billions of dollars in damages. Florida officials and property insurers are warning people left vulnerable after the storm to not become victims twice and fall prey to common scams.
Following Ian, Attorney General Ashley Moody dispatched consumer protection investigators to newly-opened Disaster Recovery Centers in Southwest Florida. The centers are located in Shannon Staub Library in Sarasota County and Joseph P.D. Alessandro Office Complex and Lakes Regional Library in Lee County. Investigators will be there daily, distributing information about how to spot, avoid and report scams, and helping consumers file price gouging complaints.
According to attorneys, there are several different kinds of scams to look out for if you are a survivor of Hurricane Ian.
“If it doesn’t seem right, it’s probably not right,” said Kathy Grunewald, disaster coordinator attorney at Legal Services of North Florida. As an advocate for post-disaster victims, she said it’s a particularly fertile time for scammers looking to make money off people whose homes and livelihood have been damaged. Most people, she said, are just desperate to get back to normal and may sign a contract that will leave them worse off than before.
“Don’t let someone pressure you into signing something,” Grunewald said.
Michael Flynn, a professor of law at Nova…
