CHICAGO (AP) - Attorney General Lisa Madigan is warning people affected by recent flooding to watch out for scammers trying to exploit property owners.
Madigan says scammers often pressure people whose property has been damaged to make quick and often expensive repairs. She says people should be cautious about hiring contractors they don’t know, especially people soliciting business door-to-door.
Thousands of properties have been affected by flooding since heavy rains fell in southern Wisconsin and north of Chicago last week. It prompted Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to state disaster proclamations for Lake, McHenry, Kane and Cook counties.
Madigan says property owners may call her office’s fraud hotline or the Better Business Bureau to check on a contractor. She recommends customers never pay cash and always get a written, signed contract.
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