Disaster chasers, scammers and natural weather events: what you need to know

If the phrase ‘disaster chaser’ gives you flashbacks to Helen Hunt’s performance in the ‘96 feature-film Twister; you’re not alone! In this context however, a disaster chaser refers to an individual posing as an insurer shortly after a storm, fire or flood, rather than a tornado-obsessed meteorologist.

Disaster chasers can pop up through door knocking, mailbox drops and online ads shortly after a major weather event, seeking to deliberately mislead people in need of help, by spruiking fast and cheap repairs. The reality however, is that the services they provide may carry inflated costs, extended delays, and subpar standards; and that’s provided they don’t ghost you after receiving their ‘upfront payment’.

Sadly, “fake operators will typically arrive uninvited at storm-damaged homes and use high-pressure sales tactics to secure agreements” says Luke Gallagher, Executive General Manager of Claims at NRMA Insurance. As such, you’ll want to be on the lookout for people who:

• offer an ‘exclusive’ or ‘one-day’ deal
• promise faster or cheaper repairs than others
• request payment upfront, or request payments via unusual channels
• refuse to show their credentials or certificate of insurance.

Remember: an insurer like NRMA Insurance will never send an assessor or emergency-repairs team to your home without first arranging it with you after you make a claim.

Spotting scams can be tricky, because they’re designed to look like legitimate companies promoting legitimate products. Not only that, but scammers can reach you via all sorts of channels, text, phone, email, social media, and websites.

The most important thing to remember is to take your time. Stop, check and reflect before acting, and be on the lookout for:

• Urgent messaging: messages requiring immediate action or payment that come out of the blue should be treated as suspicious.
  
  
• Grammar mistakes: fake charities and fraudulent offers often include misspelled words, grammar errors and poor sentence structure. If the content is poorly written and hard to understand, it’s likely a scam.
  
  
• Threatening language: Scammers often resort to threatening language. They may suggest you need to act now, or face consequences like additional fees, your service being discontinued, or even criminal charges.
  
  
• Design flaws: scams impersonating insurers or charities may attempt to replicate a legitimate business’s branding. Check for low-resolution logos (that appear pixelated), outdated colour palettes and incorrect sizing. You can do this by comparing the content to previous communication you’ve received prior to the natural weather event.
  
  
• Strange URLs: be wary of URLs that contain random letters or replace certain letters with numbers. For example, switching the letter ‘o’ with a zero: ‘0’. You may also notice a different extension from the real brand’s website, with the fake one ending with .org or .net, rather than .com (as an example).

Tip: For more information on types of scams, head over to scamwatch.com.au.