FLORIDA (WTXL) - Anti-fraud investigators are being deployed across Florida in an effort to minimize the amount of insurance and repair fraud taking place following Hurricane Irma.
Ranging from overbilling insurance companies to being unlicensed contractors, scam artists often attempt to take advantage of consumers following a disaster. Many times an insurance policyholder does not understand the paperwork they are signing when repairs begin.
In an attempt to spot and stop the fraud, Florida's Department of Financial Services is sending several employees to areas most impacted by Irma, including Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys along with Lee and Collier counties in southwest Florida.
Evangelina Brooks is the chief of the department's bureau of insurance fraud.
"Do your research. Make sure that the company you have invited into your home to do repairs on your home is licensed and insured. That's important," said Brooks. "For us, we want to be proactive and educate consumers to the potential scams and frauds that are out there."
Brooks says insurance adjusters and repair companies who are pushy or give quotes that seem too good to be true may be a warning sign that you need to look elsewhere.
