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Strike force to look for scam artists after hurricanes

A multiagency task force will span Pinellas County to protect people with damaged property from repair schemes.

By WILL VAN SANT
Published July 29, 2005

CLEARWATER - After the hurricanes come the con artists, descending on damaged areas and targeting people in need of home repairs.

But such scams, as dependable as rain in summer, may now be tougher to pull off in Pinellas County, thanks to the Unlicensed Contractor Strike Force.

The force already has met, and includes members of the State Attorney's Office, the county's Justice and Consumer Services Department and the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board.

Now when a hurricane passes through, the force will be able to send 12 two-person teams to battered areas. The teams will question repair workers to make certain they have proper credentials and are not wanted for a crime.

"The purpose is preventative, to get out there and let them know we are out there," said Deborah A. Berry, chief investigator at Justice and Consumer Services.

The force, similar to one Miami-Dade County created after Hurricane Andrew, already has paid visits to mobile home parks in Largo hit by last week's gustnado. So far, there have been no reports of fraud by contractors there.

However, officials said they are watching closely.

After last year's hurricanes, they dealt with at least a dozen cases of contractor fraud, including some not identified until months after the storms.

Most of the teams will have one member from Justice and Consumer Services and one from the State Attorney's Office. The force underwent training this week on how to identify contractor fraud and what evidence is needed to build a case.

Berry said scam artists may be especially eager to manipulate seniors, who tend to be trusting and quick to cut a deal when quoted a cheap price for repairs.

The cons vary, but Berry said her office has recently noticed more cases in which a victim is talked into handing over a deposit on a job and then the crook simply disappears without doing any work.

"If you give these people your money," Berry said, "you'll never see it again."

Printed signs will be posted at entrances to damaged areas. One sign urges homeowners to verify that anyone they hire has a license. The other warns that it's a felony to work without the proper license in a community where a state of emergency has been declared.

The warning to contractors also will appear after a hurricane on 4-foot by 8-foot signs on major roads into Pinellas.

Ideally, the fraudulent contractors will turn back when they see the signs, Berry said. But she acknowledged that was unlikely. "They won't, it's their nature," she said. "There's money to be made after a hurricane."

[Last modified July 29, 2005, 00:50:07]