Be aware: Scammers look to take advantage of hail storm
It’s severe weather season, and during a time like this, scammers are out trying to take advantage of victims.
Roofing company trucks have been driving back and forth through several neighborhoods in Fountain, but checking references and past jobs is very important in choosing contractors.
After overnight storms on Tuesday, you’ll see a big mess while driving down neighborhoods in Fountain — broken glass and solar panels, tarps and in some cases, exposed wood.
“The holes in the screen are just amazing, how it just ripped through those,” said Fountain resident Tricia Starzynski.
But with bad weather comes the roofing contractors wanting to fix it all.
“If somebody is knocking on your door in a hail storm this big, they probably are not local,” said Rory Huskin with Cornerstone Roofing. “There is enough damage that these people would be calling us.”
And with door-to-door advertising, scammers are a big concern.
“We’re pretty worried about people coming in and saying we can do this, they get paid and the work is not done,” said Maria Mesa, who lives in Fountain.
It’s something police warned her and her neighbors about.
“Our Fountain police was going door to door and they were checking on everybody, and they kind of warned us about the scams that were coming through so we really did appreciate that,” Mesa said.
It’s been so bad in this neighborhood that Starzynski has decided to stop answering her front door. We got lucky by seeing her outside to ask her a few questions.
“People were just constantly walking around. I’ll get cards and flyers left in my door. I’m not answering my door at this point because again I don’t want to be bombarded with people we can’t and don’t have the time to check,” Starzynski said.
While some contractors can be reputable, Huskin says being cautious is important.
“One of the big areas you can check the status of somebody is the Better Business Bureau,” he said.
It’s always important to make sure work is done before paying a contractor for the repairs.
Insurance companies aren’t allowed to recommend certain contractors, but they can always give you a list of trusted ones.
