How to Avoid Scams After a Disaster, Before They Knock on Your Door

This post has been rewritten with updated data and tips. October, 2026.

The storm is over. The power’s been out for a while, and you’re tired and sweaty. A couple of trees are down in the backyard and another landed on your garage. It’s going to be a mess to clean up, and you’re not sure where to start.

Then, a truck pulls up. A friendly guy says he’s working on your street and can get you fixed up today. He just needs half the money up front so he can buy materials.

That’s how a lot of people lose money after a disaster, and I read dozens of accounts in my local Facebook groups with stories just like this. A disaster can bring out the very best in people, but sadly, it can also bring out the worst.

Scammers follow disasters because desperate people make fast decisions, and very often, older, established businesses have long wait lists. The scammers also know insurance checks and FEMA money are on the way. Older adults and people who live alone get targeted a lot, since there’s often no one in the next room to say, “Let’s get a second quote first.”

The good news is that nearly every disaster scam follows the same playbook. Once you know it, it’s a lot easier to spot.

The Most Common Disaster Scams

The FTC and FEMA warn about the same handful of tricks after nearly every disaster. Here’s what they look like in real life so you’ll spot them right away.

Fly-by-night contractors and tree crews

They knock on your door, leave flyers in your mailbox, or slow down in front of your house when they see a tarp. They might hand you a business card they just had printed. Some take a deposit and disappear. Others do sloppy, half-finished work and then pressure you to sign over your insurance check if you want the job finished. Walk away from anyone who demands cash up front or won’t give you copies of their license (where your state requires one), proof of insurance, and a written contract. So much grief is avoided when you work with a reputable contractor.

FEMA and government impostors

Hard to believe people would have this much chutzpah, but some do, to the point of having a fake ID. Just because they’re wearing a neon yellow vest doesn’t mean they’re legit! They might claim your gas line, power meter, or foundation needs urgent work and they can do it today. (Again, pressuring you for a quick decision.)

This was posted in one of my town’s Facebook groups: “I just received a call from someone saying they were with FEMA and that I was being offered $9k. They wanted my banking info. They could not tell my name or address. They hung up when I asked if they knew my name. It was from a 202 (DC) number. Don’t give banking info over the phone. FEMA should already have it if you applied for relief.”

Even if someone appears to be official, ask for identification, don’t hand over money, and call the utility or your city at a number you look up yourself.

Charity scams

This one bothers me a lot, because in the days following a disaster, big-hearted people want to help, and they’ll dig deep into their wallets to do so. But, like face contractors, fake charities pop up with names and logos that sound almost like the real ones. They hit people who want to help, and sometimes they target survivors too, asking for an “application fee” for aid that doesn’t exist.

Only give through organizations you already know, and type their web address in yourself instead of clicking a link in a text or social media post. In my experience, the most trustworthy organizations to give to, whether it’s cash or supplies, are local churches. Multi-million dollar groups like Red Cross take a long time before having actual boots on the ground, and they usually charge for their services. In contrast, local churches in our town had people out helping as soon as the rain from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Beryl ended. They coordinated with each other and provided specific lists of the supplies they needed. You’ll find the churches in your area most actively involved in disaster relief in Facebook groups and on Nextdoor.com.

Rental scams

If your home is unlivable, you may be hunting for a short-term rental fast — along with maybe hundreds or thousands of other people. Hotels and other lodging are going to fill up fast, but beware of scammers who post listings for places that don’t exist or aren’t theirs. Be wary of anyone who wants a deposit or rent wired before you’ve seen the place or signed a lease.

Phishing texts and calls

Never one to miss an opportunity, the same people who send non-stop phishing texts, calls, and emails are going to use the same tricks on people in a disaster area. Don’t click on any link in a text message unless it’s from someone you know, and the same advice is for emails. If your phone and email providers have spam detectors, trust them to spot these emails and delete on a regular basis.

How to Protect Yourself Before the Storm

The best time to beat a disaster scammer is on a calm, sunny day when you can think straight.

Line up repair people now. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this. Ask friends and neighbors now who they’ve used and trusted, and write down a plumber, an electrician, a roofer, and a tree service. If flooding is a possiblity, have the contact info for two or three mitigation companies. Those slots fill up fast, and then, keep the list in your grab-and-go binder. This gives you a place to start with repair people who have good reputations.

Know your insurance before you need it. When the backyard fence of our friend’s home was pulled down after Hurricane Beryl, incredibly, she discovered it was not covered by her insurance policy. To repair it, she had to pay out of pocket. It’s vital that you know exactly what your insurance policy will cover, whether it’s homeowners or renter’s.

Here’s a way to figure out ahead of time what to ask your insurance company — in the past five years, what types of disasters have happened in your area. For me,that’s a no-brainer: flooding, high wind damage, and as of 2021, a deep freeze. Those are the scenarios I want to make sure are covered.

Along with asking specific questions, pull out your homeowners or renters policy and find the claims phone number, your policy number, and your deductible. Save the claims number in your phone. An unscrupulous contractor may try to convince you that certain types of damage are covered, so you should know that ahead of time.

By the way, some types of damage need to be assessed by an insurance adjuster before you do any repairs. What’s okay to go ahead and repair?

• Tarping or covering a damaged roof
• Boarding up broken doors and windows
• Shutting off the water if there’s a broken pipe
• Securing your property against additional weather, looters, or safety hazards
• Water extraction, setting up fans to begin the drying process

For most other work, wait until the adjuster can come out for an official assessment.

Photograph your home. Prior to any damage, walk through every room with your phone and take a video, including inside closets and the garage. Do the outside, too, including the roof if you can see it from the ground. Take photos of collectibles and other items of value. Those before photos make your claim stronger and make it easier to spot a contractor who’s padding the bill.

Pick a family safe word and a call-back rule. I’ve included this tip because scammers will try to contact you via text messages and phone calls, if possible. Phone scams spike after disasters. Agree with your family that anyone asking for urgent money has to say the safe word, and that you’ll always hang up and call back at a number you already have.

How to Vet a Contractor After the Storm

When our house flooded after the big winter storm of 2021, I had no idea what to do first, other than contact our insurance company. They told me to call a mitigation company (I’d never heard of that!), and schedule them for an inspection. With thousands of homes in our town flooded, every company was booked for weeks out.

Sometimes you need help fast, like we did, and people on your list of recommended contractors might not be available. What then? Here’s how to check out someone new without getting burned.

• Get the basics in writing. Ask for the company’s full name, a local address, and a phone number. Ask for proof of insurance and, if your state or city licenses that trade, their license number. Then look it up yourself instead of trusting a business card or a persuasive person at the door.
• Get more than one estimate. Even after a disaster, you’re going to feel pressured to get everything fixed up, fast, but getting two or three written bids are worth the wait. The complaints I heard after all the Hurricane Harvey damage had more to do with poor workmanship and jobs never being finished.
• Read the contract before you sign. And if they don’t offer a contract, fun! It should spell out the work, the materials, the total price, the start and finish dates, and the payment schedule. Never sign a blank or partly blank contract.
• Don’t pay it all up front. My husband has worked as a contractor for many years, and he has never once asked for the full payment up front. The money he might ask for cover things like permits and the materials to get the job started. A reasonable deposit is normal, but paying in full before work begins is not. Pay by check or credit card so you have a record, and if you run into an issue, you may have recourse through your credit card company.
• Don’t sign over your insurance check. Be very careful with any paperwork that gives a contractor the right to deal with your insurance company for you. Talk to your insurer first, and heed this advice from an experienced construction contractor:
  • “As you look for your homes and properties to be repaired, PLEASE don’t tell contractors, bidders, and handyman you’ve just received your insurance check unless you absolutely need to. And please don’t tell them how much it was. I’ve seen several areas become devastated, and people will be looking to get the most money from you. Telling them you received your check and how much it was, tells them just how much to bid the job for! Whether or not the work is worth that amount. People unfortunately, are not as honest these days. Do not be afraid to ask to see a portfolio of pictures of their work, request references, and by all means… ask questions! Keep all quotes to yourself, unless using it to negotiate a lower price. This will ensure your quotes and estimates are truthful and honest. Don’t be afraid to get multiple quotes either. This will make the money hungry bids stand out. And last but not least… cheapest isn’t always the best. Some people will cut corners to cut costs.”
• Check them out online. Search the company name with words like “scam” or “complaint,” and look them up with the Better Business Bureau and your state attorney general’s office. Also, this is the time to get active in local Facebook groups and your Nextdoor.com group. As fraudsters show up, people will post their names and details of their scams immediately.
• Watch for pressure. “This price is only good today” and “I have extra materials from the job down the street” are classic lines.

Finally, when it comes to payment, do NOT use Zelle or Venmo. In fact, if a person or company says they prefer or will only accept those payment methods, there’s a high possiblity it’s a scam.

Here’s why:

Zelle: Payments generally move directly between bank accounts within seconds. If you authorize a payment to a scammer, recovering the money can be difficult, maybe impossible.

Venmo: Payments can also be difficult to reverse. Venmo offers purchase protection for certain eligible transactions, but not every payment qualifies.

You might make it a practice to never, or rarely, use credit cards, but this is one scenario where I would highly recommend doing just that. Payment via a debit card immediately removes the funds from your bank account. A credit card payment doesn’t do that, and credit card companies offer far more protections for fraud and scams.

Before You Hire Anyone After a Storm, Grab This Free Kit

Your Free Storm Scam Protection Kit

Don’t let a storm scammer get your money.

Know what to ask before you hire anyone, and keep your trusted contractors and insurance information in one handy place.

No spam. Unsubscribe any time.

First Name

Email Address

Website

The Scamming Doesn’t End With Contractors

From watching my neighbors and fellow townspeople find their way through the layers of catastrophe following a disaster, it’s been disheartening to see that, seemingly, everyone is looking for a quick dollar from those already despairing.

Identity thieves

As people went through their flooded homes, room by room, they had no choice but to throw out soggy paperwork, mail, and personal files. Shockingly, members of the underbelly of society wasted no time in exploiting these discarded documents.

They created fraudulent identities complete with counterfeit driver’s licenses, checks, and credit cards. In some cases, even the work crews stumbled upon these documents and sold them to other criminals.

Once mail delivery started up again, so did mail theft. Plenty of families were staying with relatives or in hotels and couldn’t get home to check their mailboxes, and thieves knew it.

One option to protect your mail is completing a USPS mail hold request. The postal service will hold mail for up to 30 days. Alternatively, for displacements longer than 30 days, you can complete a temporary change of address form. Mail will be forwarded to wherever you are.

Individuals pretending to be disaster victims

As if being on your guard against scammy contractors isn’t enough, you also have to be aware that the same types of people will try to get money and freebies any way possible, including pretending they, too, are victims.

Our house stayed dry after Harvey, so I spent the following weeks working with churches and community groups to help however I could. And I was stunned by what I saw. People whose homes never took on a drop of water got right in line for donated furniture, food, cash, and appliances, alongside families who had lost everything. Some of them didn’t even pretend to be embarrassed about it.

One woman even shared a range of sob stories in multiple Facebook pages until the community began to catch on and call her out. So we had to start vetting people more strictly. Before handing anything out, we started asking for an address so we could check whether the house had flooded. It felt awful to question people in the middle of a disaster, but everything that went to someone undeserving was something that couldn’t be given to people in desperate need.

On one Facebook page, it took just a few hours for these additional experiences to be reported:

• “People are selling flooded cars or other items without disclosing the damage.”
• “My friend got her purse stolen at Lowe’s. The police told her a lot of people have come into town to steal. Because everyone is so distracted, we become easy targets.”
• “Someone in the streets where I’m volunteering asked me for donations. I talked with other volunteers, asking about help to find donations for him and they said he was selling the donations.”
• “I have had friends have AC companies quote for new AC unit ($10k a pop) and then sent my repair man out to say the units are fine and may need a new coil at $1400 max. Also had a general inspector confirm units were fine.”
• “Price gouging! I got quotes for drywall replacement from $20K to $41K!”
• “A picture of my collapsed townhome was posted on FB as if it was someone else’s home. They used it so they could garner sympathy and collect donations for a boy who wasn’t living in any of the townhomes, and his home wasn’t flooded. The post was eventually taken down but not until they bragged about getting all kinds of money….for example $5k from someone and $250 from State Farm.”

The more you know how thieves and scammers work, the more you’ll be able to spot them before becoming another victim.

What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed

If it happens to you, you’re in good company, so don’t be too hard on yourself! Very smart and careful people get taken after disasters all the time because they’re exhausted, and trying to fix things fast.

1. Call your bank or card company right away if you paid by card, check, or bank transfer (Zelle or Venmo, but I told you to not do that!). The sooner you call, the better your chances of stopping or reversing the payment.
2. Report it to your local police or sheriff. FEMA recommends doing this right away if you’re a victim of fraud. A police report also helps with insurance and with your bank.
3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. They track disaster scams and share reports with law enforcement.
4. Report FEMA fraud to FEMA. If someone impersonated FEMA or applied for aid in your name, email the FEMA Fraud Branch at StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov.
5. Contact your state attorney general’s consumer protection office, especially for contractor fraud. Many states have extra protections after a declared disaster. Of course, this doesn’t work if the “contractor” never had a legitimate license.
6. If your personal information was stolen, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan, and consider freezing your credit.
7. Spread the word. In local Facebook groups, on Nextdoor.com, on your own Facebook page — let people know the identity of the person or company. There’s no need for anyone else to experience that horrible feeling of being taken advantage of.

Want More Useful Info From Survival Mom?

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Content

• How Does FEMA Disaster Assistance Actually Work?
• Living Alone After 50: How to Get Prepared When It’s Just You
• The 30-Minute Family Cyber Lockdown
• Grab-and-Go Binder for 2026
• Severe Weather Preparedness: A Complete Family Guide
• 10 Realities After a Major Flooding Event

Final Thoughts

These families and businesses affected by the flood now face a lifetime divided into “before the flood” and “after the flood.” The last thing they deserved was to be victimized once again, this time by their fellow human beings.

You can’t stop scammers from showing up after a disaster, but you can make yourself a lousy target. Line up your repair people well ahead of time, know what your insurance policy covers, and give yourself permission to say, “I’ll call you back.” Anyone who won’t wait for that isn’t someone you want working on your home.