12/28/2023
Update:
I reached out to one local company that was doing this solely because they thought it was helping people, and they truly did not understand the ramifications of many insurance companies canceling someone after one claim, even if they’ve been with them decades. We had a nice talk about how volatile the insurance industry is right now, and why it’s not a good idea to suggest filing a claim, so now they have much better information, moving forward in helping to advise people for home or roofing repairs before moving forward with an insurance claim.
Please be aware of this scam or for companies that are just not knowledgeable with how volatile the insurance industry is right now.
Companies are paying close attention to police scanner calls for housefires, and even driving through neighborhoods looking for existing damage so that they can approach you with about putting in a claim to your insurance company. These are independent, third-party adjusters or even local repair companies that are often submitting overly inflated or inaccurate estimates for repair to the insurance companies, and getting you to sign a form that indicates that they are allowed to handle everything without you through the insurance company, and making false and illegal promises of brand new roofs, and other things. One of my clients just contacted me about this and we were able to stop the claim before it was able to proceed. However, another one of my elderly clients was completely taken advantage of by a scam by a third-party independent claims adjusting company,and called in the claim without contacting me at all. This third-party company only gave her $5000 to fix her roof, and they kept the rest of the $35,000 roof replacement estimate for themselves. She ultimately ended up having to replace the roof with a huge chunk of money out of her own pocket because of this. Do not talk to anyone that approaches you that you do not know about submitting an insurance claim on your property. If they can prove that they are a licensed company within your jurisdiction, then it’s your call to make for the repairs to your home, but always consult with your insurance agent or company before filing a claim.
The third-party adjuster company scams are so new, and these companies are using this as a Cashcow. There are no laws or regulations put in place yet to make this predatory and illegal. Please report anyone that is doing this to your local insurance agent, or the insurance commissioners office.