Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sent a reminder to residents to watch out for post-storm scams after a winter storm brought frigid air and more than two feet of snow to much of the state. To avoid falling victim to a storm-related scam, the following steps are encouraged:
- Talk to your insurance agent or company. Carefully review your homeowner’s and auto insurance policy to determine what damage may be covered and the amount of your deductible. Then be sure to contact your insurance agent or company, writing down questions you have and the answers that you are provided, along with a list of whom you talked to and when. Knowing what your insurance will cover will help you to determine how much you are able to spend on repairs, and prioritize repairs based on safety and need.
- Do your homework. Do your homework before hiring a home repair contractor. Some of our tips include ensuring that the home repair contractor you’ve decided to hire is licensed, insured, well-regarded by your friends and neighbors, and you are comfortable with their complaint history (if one exists).
- Get everything in writing, never pay in cash, and never pay in full up front. Ensure that all promises, quotes, and expectations are put in writing in a contract that you will carefully review before signing. Paying for a repair using a credit card is recommended because using credit cards provides you with added protection to dispute a charge if the repair is not completed. Finally, you should never pay for an entire home repair upfront! To ensure that all work is completed in accordance with the contract terms and your expectations, arrange to pay for only part of the work up front and pay for the rest of the work once it is complete to your satisfaction.
“Dealing with the aftermath of a winter storm can feel overwhelming,” Nessel said. “Taking a moment to slow down, ask questions, and do your research before making any decisions can help protect you from scams.”
Scammers are now able to create authentic-looking 800 numbers that appear on your phone display, the Michigan Attorney General’s office said. If contacted by someone claiming to be with a utility company, take the following steps to verify authenticity:
- Ask for an estimated restoration time. Legitimate utility companies track their own crews and are able to provide customers with an idea of when the service will be fixed. If the caller provides an estimate, cross-check that with your company’s outage map online.
- If they leave a message, don’t call back. Instead of dialing the number provided by the caller, locate contact information for that company on a recent utility bill and call to confirm that they contacted you in the first place.
- Don’t provide payment information over the phone. Remember, in instances where service is lost, it’s the company’s responsibility to bring it back online. That never includes asking customers for additional payment.
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