(Undated)– Flood victims are being told to be extra vigilant for scam artists. Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand says scammers love to operate at the expense of victims of natural disasters…
“They literally go around the country following storms and try to take advantage of people who are in their worse situation in their life, and we’ve got to watch out for that.”
He says there are several warning signs to be on the lookout for…
“Do not pay a lot of money up front. If someone asks for a bunch of money up front, walk away. They’re telling you something that’s too good to be true. Oh, I just need the money up front to get materials and then I’m going to have this all finished in a week and you’re going to have your life back. That sounds so appealing to people who are in these kinds of situations where they’ve been flooded or a disaster has struck, but they’re not offering reality. They’re offering you a dream in order to get a lot of your money really quickly and then skip town.”
And while it may slow your recovery efforts, Sand says it’s worthwhile to vet contractors and service providers…
“Look up the Better Business Bureau, ask for proof of insurance. These are things that will slow your process down a little bit but it will go a very long way toward making sure that you’re dealing with someone who’s legitimate and not a fly-by-night operator. It can be as simple as finding their website, seeing that they have a longstanding established history of reviews online. Somebody local. That’s a good start. But again, look for those red flags. If the want a lot of money up front, that should be something that should warn you that they aren’t looking to stick around and finish the job.”
Sand says it’s important to let the proper officials know if you think you have been scammed…
“If you hear about something, report it to your local authorities. Report it to the sheriff, report it to the local police, report it to our office, report it to the Consumer Protection Division in the Attorney General’s Office. We want to make sure the authorities are able to look into folks and keep tabs on them if they’re acting in ways that are very suspicious.”
So far Sand says he isn’t aware of any confirmed scam operations related to the flood disaster, but he says it’s only a matter of time.
