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AG Warns Against Unscrupulous Storm-Chasing Contractors - NBC Chicago 
AG Warns Against Unscrupulous Storm-Chasing Contractors

Contractors prey on home, business owners with quotes of pricey repairs when they're most down on their luck

Published Nov 19, 2013 at 11:38 AM | Updated at 11:41 AM CST on Nov 19, 2013 Receive the latest weather updates in your inbox


There are storm chasers -- meteorologists and scientists who follow severe weather in order to gain a better understanding of Mother Nature's power -- and then there are "storm chasers," -- criminals who prey on unsuspecting home and business owners when they most need a helping hand.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Tuesday urged the victims of Sunday's devastating storms to be on alert for con artists looking to make a quick buck.

Madigan said the "storm chasers" -- the nefarious variety -- use situations like Sunday's storms to pressure people into making impulsive and often expensive decisions about cleanup and construction work.

Her office offered the following tips:

Viewer-Submitted Storm Damage Photos Madigan has positioned herself as a fierce consumer advocate. Earlier this year her office filed suit against a Chicago-based home repair company, accusing it of swindling five homeowners out of more than $58,000, including a senior suffering from Alzheimer's.

Gov. Quinn: "We Will Recover" Illinois governor tours hardest-hit areas ravaged by Sunday's tornadoes.
(Published Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013)