Roofing scams after a storm: free inspections, claim handlers and waived deductibles

Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What does a storm-chasing roofer do?

Shows up fast. After storms in the Midstate in 2023, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department said that by the very next morning it was getting reports of brochures hung on doors and left in mailboxes offering "Free Storm Inspections" and help with insurance claims from roofing and contracting companies. In June 2026 the department warned again that contractor fraud typically takes place in communities just hit by severe weather, and that it is most prevalent in the summer storm season.

The department describes the pitch. Contractors arrive in an affected area and try to persuade owners to let them manage the repairs, either by claiming they can maximize the insurance payout or by stressing that the work cannot wait. If the owner agrees, it says, the contractor may do substandard work with cheap products or leave town with the insurance money.

Its warning signs are practical: work vans or trucks with out-of-state plates, or with no sign identifying the company. Its questions for anyone at the door are where the business is located, how long it has operated, whether it can give several referrals, and what storm-damage work it has done.

Should you let a stranger inspect your roof for free?

The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a research organization, says to avoid unsolicited offers to inspect or repair your roof. Its advice after suspected hail damage is to call your insurance agent first, then hire a roofer with a local address after getting several estimates.

What is wrong with letting the roofer handle the claim?

It depends on what you sign. The paper may be an assignment of benefits, which the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) calls a useful tool in some cases but also a legal contract whose fine print deserves a careful read. The NAIC says that under an assignment of benefits a roofer files your claim, makes the repair decision and collects the insurance payments without your involvement. Once you sign, it says, the insurer deals only with that third party, which can sue the insurer, and you can lose your right to mediation. The NAIC says you are not required to sign one to have repairs done, and that you can file the claim yourself and keep control of it.

A public adjuster is something else: a claims professional you hire, who in Pennsylvania must be licensed by the Insurance Department and is paid a share of the claim. The department says an adjuster who is also a contractor can perform only one of those roles at a time, must use a separate contract for each, and cannot begin repairs until the insurer has decided the claim.

What if a roofer offers to cover your deductible?

None of the Pennsylvania, NAIC or FTC pages read for this guide addresses that offer directly. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department's advice is simply to find out what your deductible is, and what dollar limits your policy has, before dealing with contractors.

The clearest explanation found comes from another state's regulator, and it describes that state's law. The Texas Department of Insurance says it is illegal in Texas for a contractor to waive a deductible or help you avoid paying it. It explains how the trick usually works: the estimate sent to the insurer is higher than the real cost of the repair, and the extra insurance money covers the deductible. In its words, a contractor doing that may be sending false information to your insurer, which would be fraud, and is likely making up the difference by cutting corners or using lower-quality products. It adds that an insurer can ask for proof that you paid your deductible before paying the full claim. Its advice to anyone offered such a deal is to talk to the insurance company first. In Pennsylvania, questions about a claim can go to the Insurance Department.

How do big deposits go wrong?

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office sued a western Pennsylvania contracting and roofing business in November 2025, alleging that it abandoned projects after collecting more than $56,000 in deposits and used contracts that did not comply with the law. One example in the release: a homeowner agreed a $48,000 price for a roof replacement, new siding and a porch, paid a $28,000 initial deposit, and was told a written contract would follow the next day. The company never came back. These are the lawsuit's allegations, not court findings.

Measure that against the rules the office set out in its May 2025 storm warning. A contractor may not take a deposit greater than one-third of the contract price plus the cost of special-order materials, and may not demand or receive any payment at all until the contract contains every required item and you have signed it. One-third of $48,000 is $16,000.

Which payment requests are red flags?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that after a weather emergency, unlicensed contractors and scammers often offer no written contract and push for full payment in advance. It says anyone who insists you pay by cash, gift cards, wire transfer, payment apps or cryptocurrency is a scammer, and suggests paying by credit card after the work is done if you can. The NAIC suggests paying in installments by check or credit card so there is a record.

The FTC also warns about a roofer who offers a new roof along with financing through a lender he knows, then hurries you through papers that turn out to be a high-interest home equity loan. Its list of scam tactics adds claiming leftover materials from a nearby job, pressing for an immediate decision and asking you to pull the permits yourself.

What paperwork should you refuse?

Anything with blanks. The Insurance Department and the NAIC both warn against signing a contract with sections left empty, since they can be filled in later. And do not sign anything stating the work is finished, or pay in full, until it actually is.

Where do you report a roofing scam?

  • The Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection: online, or 1-800-441-2555.
  • The Insurance Department, for claim and public adjuster problems: 1-877-881-6388.
  • The FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

What Pennsylvania requires of roofers sets out the contract rules these schemes break, and how to choose a roofer covers the checks that screen them out. Roofers serving the area are on the roofers directory page.

Sources

  1. Shapiro Administration Provides Advice on Claims, Avoiding Scams Following Strong Storms and Flooding, Pennsylvania Insurance Department
  2. Shapiro Administration Reminds Pennsylvanians to be Mindful of Contractor Scams Following Major Summer Storms, Pennsylvania Insurance Department
  3. Is It Hail Damage?, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
  4. Assignment of Benefits: Consumer Beware, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
  5. Public Adjuster, Pennsylvania Insurance Department
  6. Is it OK for a contractor to waive my deductible?, Texas Department of Insurance
  7. AG Sunday Sues Western Pa. Home Contractor for Failures to Complete Projects or Offer Refunds, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
  8. AG Sunday Warns of Potential Scams Following Deadly Storms that Impacted Pittsburgh and Surrounding Areas, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
  9. How To Prepare for a Weather Emergency While Avoiding Scams, Federal Trade Commission
  10. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission
  11. 10 Things You Can Do to Avoid Contractor Fraud and Abuse, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)

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