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NICB Fraud Resources After a Disaster
Becoming a victim of a disaster may be impossible to avoid. However, it's entirely possible to avoid dishonest contractors lurking in the wake of a disaster if you're equipped with the right information.
Disaster Fraud Resources Contractor Search Checklist
NICTA On-Demand Courses
Catastrophe Fraud
This course on the identification and investigation of Catastrophe Fraud provides an overview of the indicators of this type of activity and shows the proper investigative steps to take when presented with a questionable claim involving a claim after a catastrophe.
*Registration is restricted to NICTA users.
Contractor, Vendor and Provider Fraud
Learn to spot the indicators and the various types of schemes used to defraud the insurance industry.
*Registration is restricted to NICTA users.
NICB Regional Contacts
| Foreign Operations | 891 Kuhn Drive, Suite 201 Chula Vista, CA 91914 t: 888.815.9064 f: 847.544.7624 |
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Mid-Atlantic Region |
William Woolf, Director of Operations | wwoolf@nicb.org Territory: D.C., Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia 12701 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 275 Fairfax, VA 22033 t: 888.241.7159 or 703.222.6250, ext. 4 f: 703.222.6410 |
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Midwest Region |
Thomas Fabus, Jr., Director of Operations | tfabus@nicb.org Territory: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin 1111 E. Touhy Ave., Suite 400 Des Plaines, IL 60018 t: 800.447.6282 f: 847.544.7648 |
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Northeast Region |
Kevin Gallagher, Director of Operations | kgallagher@nicb.org Territory: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont 145 Pinelawn Road, Suite 330 South Melville, NY 11747 t: 888.241.8280 or 631.694.9201 f: 631.694.9236 |
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Northwest Region |
Dana MacDonald, Director of Operations | dmacdonald@nicb.org Territory: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming 1313 Broadway, Suite 310 Tacoma, WA 98402 t: 888.241.8130 f: 847.544.7909 |
| Southeast Region | Charlie Worsham, Director of Operations | cworsham@nicb.org Territory: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi 8800 Grand Oak Circle, Suite 690 Tampa, FL 33637 t: 888.241.8270 f: 813.977.1525 |
| Southwest Region | Fred Lohmann, Director of Operations | flohmann@nicb.org Territory: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas 320 Decker Drive, Suite 100 Irving, TX 75062 t: 888.241.8127 or 972.739.6026 f: 972.739.6027 |
| West Region | Territory: Arizona, California, Texas Southern California, Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Nogales, Mexico City, Merida 891 Kuhn Drive, Suite 201 Chula Vista, CA 91914 t: 888.815.9064 f: 847.544.7624 |
| West Region | Bob Jones, Director of Operations | rjones@nicb.org Territory: California, Hawaii, Nevada Northern, Central and portions of Southern California 2001 Financial Way, Suite 100 Glendora, CA 91741 t: 888.815.9064 or 626.963.6058 f: 626.963.9374 |
State Resources
The more information you have to make a decision, the stronger it will be. The NICB encourages you to do your research before accepting offers for contractor services. If you need a contractor, it's important to use the resources available to you
View resources for the states below.
FAQs
Common Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is Contractor Fraud Awareness Week? | Contractor Fraud Awareness Week is a program developed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau to highlight the problem of contractors and vendors that take advantage of disaster victims in the aftermath of a catastrophe. |
| How do contractors and vendors take advantage of catastrophe victims? |
Imagine you are sitting at home watching television, playing with the kids, having dinner with the family and then you hear someone banging on your front door. You go to answer it and it’s the police telling you there is a wildfire moving your way and you need to get out of the area immediately. You grab a few things quickly and shove what you can into your car, and start driving down the road filled with the cars of all your neighbors also all trying to leave and you take one last look back at your home not knowing if you will see it again. For a few days, maybe a week or in some cases more, you wonder what has happened to your home. And when you go home, you finally see what awaits you. Following a wildfire, hurricane or tornado, victims are stressed and it’s at this time deceitful contractors try to take advantage of homeowners offering great sounding deals attempting to get your business. Believing you found an answer to your problems, you sign a contract with a contractor, a contract that may cost you and your insurer thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. |
| What can catastrophe victims do to prevent falling to one of these scammers? | Information is key. Prior to any disaster, make certain you have a good relationship with your insurer. Your insurer contact will be your first line of defense against fraud. Additionally, again, before disasters, start building a list of contractors you feel could be good to hire should you need to. Take time and look up their contractor license, reviews, and Better Business Bureau information. Write up what you find and any notes or questions you think are important as a note to your future self. Email this information to yourself or another family member so that you can pull it up should you need to. The more information you have, the better decision you can make. After a disaster, be skeptical of a contractor that approaches you unsolicited, say they are approved by the government or conveniently work with your specific insurer all the time. Typically, that’s how these scams start. Ask for their contractor license and business card so that you can check them out. Avoid rushing into an agreement – there is no need to rush. If you have a contractor you are thinking of using, before signing anything, call your insurer and ask for advice about what to look for and information on the claims process. Also, download NICB’s Post-Disaster Contractor Search Checklist. This checklist will walk you through the recovery and rebuilding process and what to look for to avoid fraud. |
| How can I participate in Contractor Fraud Awareness Week? | Post-disaster fraud is a serious matter and the more voices we have to help spread word of the problem, the more we can flush out bad actors. You can help us by pushing out ways people could become more aware of this multi-billion-dollar problem. Have an experience to share? Share it. The more people know, the better. |
| Where can I go to get more information about Contractor Fraud Awareness Week and what I can do to avoid fraud? | For more information about Contractor Fraud Awareness Week, visit the NICB website and the Contractor Fraud Awareness Week web page. Also, you can get additional information from our CFAW partners Insurance Information Institute, Northwest Insurance Council, Rocky Mountain Insurance Association, Insurance Council of Texas, and the AARP. Listen to “The NICB Crime Examiner” podcast episode called ‘An Inside Look at Contractor Fraud’ with Amy Nofziger, Director of Victim Support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network. Visit our web page Disaster Fraud and Fraud Resources After a Disaster for additional information as well as our videos on contractor fraud. |
