Damage of another kind will lurk with a ring of the front doorbell or a kindly telephone call asking for help, consumer protection experts warned yesterday. Scam artists have bilked flood victims in Texas, hurricane survivors in Florida and quake-rattled homeowners in California. Owners of damaged homes should not act rashly.
Experts urge great caution in using contractors who simply show up at the front door.
A favorite trick is to look at the house and announce that there is serious damage that must be repaired immediately. But contractors who don't solicit can be shady, too. McCrea cited the case of a heating contractor who accepted down payments of several hundred dollars from more than one consumer but never returned to do the work. Pay at the end of the job, or only for work that had been finished. Never pay in cash.