By Sandra Guile
Better Business Bureau
Spring showers and strong storms can cause untold damage to your property, prompting the need for speedy repairs.
Unfortunately, this season also brings out the possibility of storm chasers – scammers who come through quickly and leave a lot of financial damage in their wake.
People with umbrellas in rain on the street
BBB has a Storm Repair, Recovery, and Relief resource center at bbb.org/cincinnati/storm/ for your reference.
The next time a major weather event happens in our area, look for these red flags:
• Out-of-state license plates or trucks with extra repair materials
• People lurking around a property without permission or causing additional damage
• Substantial upfront prices and pressure to release insurance information
• Refusal to work until payment has been made and radio silence after receiving any money.
Spring showers are an inevitable part of the changing seasons, and with storms come the possibility of storm chasers.
Monitor what’s happening around your neighborhood after the storm and who’s offering assistance during clean up. Protect your home and your personal information by contacting your insurance company immediately after a storm has passed and file a claim.
Also, if you’re a business owner and you’re approached by someone you suspect is a storm chaser who’s asking to use your business’s name and reputation – contact us.
Report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement, BBB’s Scam Tracker, and our Business Ethics Specialist Mallory Pierson, at mpierson@cincinnati.bbb.org or 513-421-3015.
Sandra Guile is the Community Outreach Specialist for BBB. She promotes BBB’s message of marketplace ethics through public speaking engagements, presentations, media relations, press releases, web content, and other written materials. Contact her at 513.639.9126 or sguile@cincinnati.bbr.org
