How To Spot A Scam After Severe Storms Go Through State

As people start cleaning up after the severe storms, scammers are moving in.

They are offering homeowners deals that may seem too good to be true.

“A lot of times before we have storms like this, we see people going door to door and try to go on roofs,” said Kitt Letcher, CEO of Better Business Bureau Central Oklahoma. “They catch a lot of people off guard so they’re making quick and impromptu decisions.”

Before making decisions, the Better Business Bureau said it’s important to take a step back and do some research.

Do not open suspicious emails from an unknown or spam address, verify the phone number of a company and make sure its accurate, look up client references, and ask for quotes from multiple places to compare different prices. 

Letcher said you shouldn't pay more than a third down before the company starts doing the work.

“If you’re using somebody who is reputable and is in that line of business, they shouldn’t need a large deposit to buy materials to get the project started," Letcher said.

The last piece of advice is to hire locally.

“If something happens to the service or the product that they fixed, you'll want to be able to go back to that business and get that warranty or service for your home or automobile,” she said.

If you believe you've been scammed, you can file a complaint through the Better Business Bureau here.