Hurricane Ian left extensive damage in Florida, a gold mine for contractor fraud and scams. A nonprofit is coming to the area to help protect disaster victims from becoming victims twice.

The National Alliance Against Home Repair Fraud (NAAHRF) will hold its SmartPower workshop Protecting Yourself from Home Repair Fraud and Scams at the following locations:

Monday, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

East Co. Regional Library – 881 Gunnery Road N in Lehigh Acres

The seminars are free and open to the public.

Speakers at the event include local law enforcement, local building & zoning officials, consumer protection attorneys, insurance experts, and more.

“Disaster/storm victims are especially vulnerable to contractor scams,” says Phae Moore, Executive Director of NAAHRF. “After a disaster hits, scam artists take advantage of stressed-out homeowners, making them victims, twice.” Moore is also the author of “Don’t Even Think About Ripping Me Off! (Amazon), a step-by-step instructional guidebook for homeowners on how to find, hire, work with and pay contractors. NAAHRF also has a free app, HOME REPAIR HELPER, which can be downloaded from the Apple Store. “For me, it’s personal because my grandmother was ripped off by a contractor. I remember the pain in her face. It will stay with me always. That’s why I started the organization. I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”

Topics of discussion will include how to find contractors, how to vet them, determining your budget, the building permitting process, insurance issues you may not know about, what should and should not be in your contract, dealing with unexpected repairs and change orders, how to set up payment schedules to avoid being ripped off, lien releases, and a whole lot more.

“There are excellent and honest contractors out there, but you still need to educate yourself on the process. I cannot stress that enough,” says Moore. “It’s so frustrating to get calls from homeowners who have already been scammed. It breaks my heart because by then, it’s too late.”

For more information, visit www.naahrf.org.