FLORIDA – Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis deployed his Disaster Fraud Strike Teams to the counties impacted by Hurricane Helene on Monday.
Officials said the deployment consists of 13 teams and 80 law enforcement officers to educate people about post-storm fraud and ensure contractors are following Florida workers’ compensation law while making repairs.
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“Just minutes after a storm, the bad actors and scam artists will swoop in and try to take advantage of people at their most vulnerable time,” Patronis said. “It’s despicable, and that’s why I have deployed my Disaster Fraud Action Strike Teams to the Big Bend area to be on the lookout for bad actors trying to make a buck off the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.”
Patronis said you shouldn’t feel pressured by anyone to sign anything if someone comes to your front door.
Common indicators of post-storm fraud include a contractor, service provider, or restoration professional who:
- Offered to waive or discount your insurance deductible
- Received payment and failed to provide any repairs to your home
- Offered repairs at a cash-only discounted rate and failed to make the repairs
- Failed to make repairs to your home and stopped responding to contact attempts
If you believe you or someone you know has fallen victim to post-storm fraud call the Insurance Fraud Hotline at 1-800-378-0445.
The CFO’s Division of Insurance Consumer Services provides insurance assistance at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday and online at MyFloridaCFO.com.