Natural disasters have impacted millions in recent years and their occurrence seems to be on the rise. Being a victim of one of these disasters is usually beyond your control. Consider the losses to fire in California or the recent deaths in the Dominican Republic due to Tropical Storm Noel. The Tsunami that hit south Asia in 2004 will leave lasting memories for all and New Orleans is still trying to recover from Katrina two years later. The devastation that is felt from these disasters reverberates throughout society and leaves no one untouched. It is natural to feel sympathy and wish there was something you could do to help. Relief funds and organizations are often established to help those affected by disasters and many of them are honorable. Unfortunately this is also fertile ground for the unscrupulous to take advantage of the situation. Fraudsters set up fake relief funds only to take off with the donations with no intention of helping disaster victims. Unscrupulous contractors swoop in to take advantage of peoples need to rebuild homes, schools and other necessities. They troll damaged neighborhoods looking for people to scam. They may promise to fix everything and deliver nothing taking the deposit and moving on to the next victim. While many of these relief funds or services are honest and reputable others are not. You are best to protect yourself by asking questions. Ask for references and check them out. Question relief funds about how the money is used and ask for documentation. Check with local government agencies to see if they are aware of relief fund or contractor. The Better Business Bureau is also a good source of information. Be careful. If a contractor approaches you and offers to help, be cautious and don’t be pressured into giving him money. If you receive an unsolicited request for funds to go towards a disaster relief agency check out the organization. If they are legitimate they won’t mind answering a few questions and providing you with supporting documentation for their cause.

If you have been a victim of fraud due to disaster or renovation go to Take Action on the web sit and let us know. We would love to hear your story and you can see more on this and other types of fraud on Fraud Squad TV.

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