In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded my town with 40 inches of rain and millions of gallons of water released from an upstream dam, which more than tripled the hurricane flood damage.
Fortunately, our home was spared, but thousands of homes and businesses were flooded to their rooftops. The devastation was shocking to me, but something worse quickly followed—a deluge of scammers, thieves, and low-lifes. Human vultures were looking for any opportunity to prey on victims who had just lost everything.
Unfortunately, the destruction wrought by a natural disaster is ripe for their schemes. Communities and individuals are overwhelmed for weeks and months. Churches and relief organizations scramble to put together water, meals, hygiene kits, and sleeping quarters for the most desperate. Insurance companies, agents, and their estimators have backlogs of cases, and mitigation companies will have waitlists that are months long.
Hurricane Harvey is history now, but we’d do well to prepare for new emergencies in an uncertain future. We all hope it won’t happen to us, but if it does, being aware of how criminals target those in desperate circumstances can empower us to safeguard ourselves, our loved ones, and our possessions.
Here are a few scams to watch out for, whether you’re rebuilding from a disaster or looking to help those who are.
Phony Contractors and Repair Services
Within hours of the end of the storm, “contractors” show up, sometimes door to door, to offer services such as free roof inspections. They know that local, legitimate contractors are overwhelmed, and it will be nearly impossible to check out their “credentials.” They’ll usually ask for a large deposit, or they may even want full payment up front.They never intend to complete the job—if they even start—and many will pocket the money and move on to their next victim.
Fake anti-mold and mitigation companies will try to sell unnecessary and overpriced services. Some contractors will use materials scrounged from old job sites, such as used wire and light fixtures.
Never give any contractor details about your insurance coverage or the amount of money you’ve already received. Also, never share bid amounts with other contractors. Get multiple quotes, ask for local references, and take the time to verify their license numbers with your county or state agencies.
During rebuilding, be present at your home, which is now a job site. Talk with the workers, take photos, bring donuts, and get acquainted with everyone by name. Pay special attention to the condition of your home and belongings. It’s easy for a company to deny blame in the case of furniture damage or a chipped countertop, for example, if you can’t prove it was undamaged before their work.
Most importantly, before a disaster, make a list of trusted and recommended contractors, tradespeople, and the like. Let them know when you’re happy with their work. Leave a positive review on Google, and send business their way. If disaster strikes, they’ll likely put their preferred past customers at the top of their list.
Price Gouging and Unfair Business Practices
Along with dishonest contractors come inflated prices and phony damage estimates. One report, post-Harvey, was of an HVAC contractor who told the homeowner their air conditioning unit was damaged and needed to be replaced. It hadn’t been flooded at all! Another woman reported getting drywall estimates ranging from $20,000 to $41,000!Identity Theft
Another clever way human vultures take advantage of hurricane victims is identity theft. As homeowners muck out their flooded homes, huge piles of mail and other paperwork are left on front sidewalks to be picked up, eventually, by trash services.Thieves can steal bags of trash and piles of soggy papers specifically to find receipts, tax records, mail, and other paperwork. This is simple to do when many neighborhoods are entirely evacuated during a disaster; they can even steal outright from mailboxes.
With this information, they create fake IDs, open bank accounts, and make purchases of all kinds using names, addresses, Social Security numbers, employee IDs, etc. It’s a nightmare to unravel this identity theft while coping with home reconstruction, living in a hotel or an RV for the duration, and trying to maintain as much of a normal life as possible for the family.
If you haven’t already done so, collect all your vital documents, scan them, and store the digital files on one or more thumb drives. Keep one of these thumb drives with you, and then store a second one as a backup in a different location. This will save you the time it would take to dig through files in your damaged home.
Impersonation and Fraudulent Government Officials
In a big enough disaster, the largest relief organizations will be on hand to assist. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is, of course, the best-known and largest. One victim of Harvey told the story of receiving a phone call from a supposed FEMA agent. This person informed the woman she would be receiving $9,000, and they only needed her banking information.The scammer got her personal information, most likely from scrounging through trash and mail, but her bank account information was the one piece they needed to complete their fraud. This woman was savvy enough to know that when she filed for help with FEMA, she had already provided her banking information. In this case, the scammer was out of luck and went on to his or her next victim.
These same people may show up at your door, offering assistance from a phony relief agency. Again, request identification and verify it before letting them inside your house or providing them with any personal information.
Want to Help? Give Wisely
Disasters such as Hurricane Harvey bring out the best in most people, and good-hearted folks rush to help with donations of money, gift cards, and brand-new products. Some even donate generators and portable air conditioners.But be careful who you’re giving to: Many scammers get busy on social media, posting fake profiles and begging for help, specifically money. Some go so far as to post photos of damaged homes belonging to other people.
It’s not a good feeling to be suspicious, but the help you do offer should go to those who have been affected and are in need, not to a heartless person who cruises through devastated neighborhoods looking for their next victim.
One pleasant surprise in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey was that churches were the very first to respond. Immediately, they became collection points for cases of water bottles, hot meals, and cleaning supplies and provided assistance of every kind. They coordinated teams of volunteers to assist with mucking out and provided free child care for affected families. If you want to make sure your donation of time or money will go directly and immediately to those in need, contact a local place of worship.
Join one or more community groups on social media and NextDoor.com to find out what you can do. In my town, stay-at-home moms were volunteering to do laundry for those without power. So many meals were delivered to the fire department that they finally had to post a sign saying, “Thank you, but no more, please!” My family delivered bags of ice, water, and sandwiches, going through flooded neighborhoods and looking for anyone in need of help.
