ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Officials with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Kansas City are reminding people to be aware of contractor scams as severe weather chances increase.
“When there’s more storms, there’s more damage, more scammers are going to come out the woodwork," Nikolas Reese with the BBB of Greater KC, said.
Reese's warning comes after a Tuesday night tornado in St. Joseph ripped the roof off one home and spread debris across the area.
If your home or property is damaged in severe weather, Reese said there are red flags to look out for.
"You’re going to want to be a bit more wary if someone comes to your door after a storm, there’s no company name on their vehicle, no phone number, they don’t have a business card and it’s a Texas plate and you’re in the middle of Missouri," he said.
Another concern should be high pressure sales tactics.
"Someone who comes to your door and says, 'I can repair that for much cheaper than the going rate for it, only if you hire me today. If I come back next week after doing all these others and everything, it’s going to be my usual rate,' and things like that," Reese said.
Reese said one way to protect yourself is to be proactive and prepared.
“Do some research ahead of time and see if there’s any locally trusted contractors, repairmen, anything like that in the area just so that you kind of have that information in your back pocket should you ever need it," he said.
