In Hurricane Season, Be Wary

The winds come first. The floodwaters next. And then the scammers.

For South Carolina residents, preparing for the 2025 hurricane season — particularly after the devastation of last year’s Hurricane Helene — means more than just stockpiling food, water and medications. It means preparing to deal with the inevitable criminals who sweep into town promising to fix damaged roofs and broken fences.

“These fly-by-night groups just come in, and they have no permits,” says Lt. Eric Calendine, who works for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Once they put a tarp on the roof, he adds, the homeowner may never see them again.

From contractors who will take your money and run, to criminals who will pose as government or insurance company officials, to fake charities that collect money under the guise of helping those in need, South Carolinians can expect to see a range of scams following in the wake of the latest storm.

Expo to offer tips, strategies

With the hurricane season in full swing — it runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 — AARP South Carolina is working in the state to raise awareness on how people can both prepare and protect themselves.

On Friday, Sept. 12, AARP will host the Active Aging Expo at the Sheraton hotel that is by the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. It will feature a series of breakout presentations, including one on fraud and another that will address fraud during disasters.

Older residents are vulnerable to a range of scams — and certainly to the type that follow natural disasters. That’s especially true if they don’t have family members or trusted friends around, says Carri Grube Lybarker, administrator and consumer advocate for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs.

Sometimes, the scammer will show up at a person’s house with fake credentials that purportedly show they work for a home repair business.

“So somebody may walk up and say, ‘Hey, your neighbors hired me to fix the roof and I have extra materials, and I’ll give you a discounted deal,’ and consumers pay up front and then never see them again,” Grube Lybarker says.

Before hiring anyone, she says, homeowners should make sure that the company has a business license and permits. She also urges people to pay by credit card or check so there’s a record of the transaction. To check if the business is a licensed contractor at the state level, they can call the South Carolina Contractor’s Licensing Board, at 803-896-4686, or search online at llr.sc.gov/clb.

Scammers seize on ‘panic’ state

It’s also important for residents to be on guard from scammers who claim to be from government agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or from utility companies, Grube Lybarker says.

Calendine of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office says that one of the most common playbooks that scammers use is to offer services and claim the homeowners insurance company will reimburse the cost.

This is happening as the homeowners might be dealing with a destroyed roof, downed trees or a power outage. They’re often in a “state of panic” and don’t exercise due diligence, says Calendine. Scammers know ways to prey on people when they’re in this vulnerable condition, he notes.

Kathy Stokes, who oversees national fraud prevention programs for AARP, said in recent congressional testimony that scams are successful because criminals know how to cause that sense of panic. AARP research going back decades unveiled what criminal scammers refer to as getting their targets “under the ether.”

“They have known since the beginning of time that to trigger a heightened emotional state is to bypass logical thinking,” she says. “It is how our brains work.”

With its extensive coastline, South Carolina faces a significant risk from hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane Helene was especially damaging, with 21 tornadoes and widespread power outages in the state.

Joe Meyers, AARP South Carolina’s associate state director for outreach and veterans, says another common disaster-related scam takes place when someone falsely claims to be from a charity. If people have doubts about whether a charity is legitimate, they can go to the South Carolina Secretary of State’s website and check at search.scsos.com/charities.

For the past two years, Meyers notes, AARP has worked with the nonprofit SBP, which helps people recover from disasters, to offer a series of talks about the recovery process.

“Just letting people know is kind of a major step towards them being able to not be so vulnerable,” Meyers says.

For AARP resources on fraud prevention — including tips on how you can deal with disaster-related scams — visit aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

Frederic J. Frommer has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years, including 16 years at The Associated Press, and is the author of several books.

More Disaster Resources

• AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit
• How Older Adults Can Prepare for Floods, Hurricanes, Emergencies
• Do-It-Yourself Project: Operation Emergency Prepare