Storm and flood repair scams are working Indiana right now.
After a disaster, the second wave is always human: door-to-door "contractors," fake FEMA reps, and bogus charities, moving street by street through damaged neighborhoods. Here are the five tells — and a free line that will give you a straight answer on any offer, any hour: 1-888-985-6187.
The five tells
- “FEMA will pay for all of this.” No stranger at your door can promise that. Real federal assistance starts with you applying at disasterassistance.gov (or 1-800-621-3362) — never with a contractor's pitch. FEMA staff carry federal photo ID, and they never ask for money, ever.
- Full payment — or a big cash deposit — today. No legitimate contractor needs the whole job's money up front, and "today only" pricing is itself the tell. Reasonable down payments happen; pressure does not.
- No written contract, no local footprint. A real contractor will happily give you a written scope and price, a physical business address, proof of insurance, and local references. A storm-chaser gives you a verbal quote and a first name.
- “Just sign this so we can start” — insurance paperwork you haven't read, or an assignment of your claim benefits. Never sign insurance documents at the door. Call your insurer first; your policy, your claim, your pace.
- Charity collectors you've never heard of. Disaster "relief funds" collecting cash or gift cards door-to-door or by phone are almost never real. Give through organizations you already know, directly.
The safe order of operations
Photograph the damage. Call your insurance company first. If your county is federally declared, apply yourself at disasterassistance.gov. Then hire repairs the slow way: written estimates from more than one contractor, proof of insurance, and never the last dollar before the last shingle. If any step brings you an offer that feels off, describe it to our free line before you sign or pay: 1-888-985-6187 — free for every Hoosier, 24/7, no signup.
How do the crews know which doors to knock?
People-search sites tell any stranger who lives at an address and how old they are — it is how door-to-door crews pick targets. See what is out there about your household, free, in one second:
Report what you see
- Indiana Attorney General Consumer Protection — 1-800-382-5516
- FTC — reportfraud.ftc.gov
- FEMA disaster fraud line — 1-866-720-5721
Does FEMA really go door to door?
After a declared disaster, FEMA teams do canvass affected neighborhoods — but they carry federal photo ID you can ask to see, they never charge for anything, never ask for money or gift cards, and never need your full banking details at the door. Anyone doing any of those things is not FEMA.
Is the damage covered by insurance or FEMA?
Insurance first — FEMA assistance generally covers uninsured or underinsured losses in federally declared counties, and it requires your own application. Nobody else can apply "for you" at your door.
While you're thinking about who knows your address: the people-search sites tell every stranger exactly who lives where, and how old they are — it's how these crews pick doors. Getting your household off those sites is free, and we show you how →