NICB: New PSA Urges Disaster Victims To Be Wary Of Dishonest Contractors

How to protect yourself from Deceitful Contractors

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Nov 10, 2020, 10:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is issuing a new public service announcement (PSA) warning consumers about the dangers of devious contractors looking for ways to make a crooked buck off homeowners.

"It's unfortunate that after disasters when hundreds—if not thousands—of people are simply trying to put their homes and lives back together, we see so many untrustworthy contractors and others taking advantage of disaster victims," said NICB President and CEO David Glawe. "It's a scary predicament when a home is damaged or destroyed. We want to help people get back on their feet, and not become a victim for the second time. We believe these PSAs are a step toward that objective and can help warn homeowners of the dangers they may face in the aftermath of storm."

View the 30-second PSA

View the 60-second PSA

While insurers pay billions of dollars a year to cover losses, sometimes those payments end up in the pockets of misleading contractors. Those contractors, some who travel the country chasing disasters, often solicit business door-to-door and prey on the elderly or other vulnerable victims to try to get them to sign a contract and hand over a payment. Then they are never seen again or fail to do the repairs as promised.

These PSAs are available for use by media outlets and websites. There are 30- and 60-second versions available. The PSAs can be found on the NICB PSA platform.

To learn more about contractor fraud and disaster tips, visit our webpage Fraud Resources After a Disaster.

REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422)or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, learning and development, government affairs and public affairs. The NICB is supported by more than 1,400 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote more than $526 billion in insurance premiums in 2019, or more than 82% of the nation's property-casualty insurance. That includes more than 95% ($241 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau