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Tips to Avoid Contractor Fraud

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• Obtain a list of reputable contractors from your insurance agent or company, the Better Business Bureau, or a specialized consumer organization. Contact multiple contractors and obtain more than one estimate.
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• Beware of contractors coming to your home unsolictied, offering to do work, and seeking your insurance information to submit claims on your behalf.
   

• Do not allow a contractor permission to inspect your property when you are not home.
   

• If you give a contractor permission to inspect your property, watch the contractor during the inspection.
   

• Obtain, in writing, the terms and conditions of the project.
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• Avoid signing any documentation (including a contract) until you fully review it. Be aware that in some cases, scammers will have consumers sign a document without explaining it as a contract.
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• Pay the contractor by check or credit card, rather than in cash, and do not pay in full until all work has been finished.
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