NICB: Real Stories from Real Victims

News provided by

Feb 05, 2020, 06:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) launches a new video series featuring real stories from victims of unscrupulous roofers in Colorado.

The victims in the video bravely describe how they unknowingly were scammed by roofing contractors that presented themselves as reputable but, in fact, were engaged in insurance fraud following a series of hail and wind storms that swept across the state.

Video | Infographic

"In this important series of interviews, we hear from the victims themselves how, in their darkest hour, fraudsters took the opportunity to scam them! By courageously telling their stories, we at the NICB believe it will educate and prevent others from falling victim to these opportunistic fraudsters," said NICB chief operating officer Jim Schweitzer.

Unscrupulous contractors who chase around the country following the path of storms, 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. We always encourage policyholders to contact their insurance company or agent before hiring a contractor to do the work.

HIRING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR?

Get more than one estimate. Never let a contractor pressure you into hiring them.
Work with only licensed and insured contractors.
Demand references and check them all out.
Ask to see the salesperson's driver's license, write down the license number, and their vehicle's license plate number.

GETTING THE WORK DONE

Get contract terms in writing. Cost, time schedules, payment schedules, guarantees, work to be done, and other expectations should be detailed.
Never sign a contract with blanks or incomplete information.
Never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished, and ensure reconstruction is up to current code requirements.

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 1,300 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $496 billion in insurance premiums in 2018, or more than 81 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 92 percent ($254 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

Get the latest on our social pages:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Blog

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau