With a huge section of southern Missouri dealing with the floods of 2008, AG Nixon is warning flood victims not to get victimized a second time by con artists. As with any damaging storm, the crooks come out of the woodwork to take advantage of home and business owners in dire need of repairs. There also might be merchants who significantly raise prices to profit off these needy flood victims looking for things like bottled water, ice, plywood, generators, etc.

Once the flood waters recede, a lot of people will need to hire contractors to do flood restoration. The press release linked above has our best advice for watching for red flags and hiring reliable contractors to do this work. The biggest pointers: avoid the door-to-door solicitors and don't pay full price up front for services that haven't yet been performed.

We also advise you to get your agreement with contractors in writing. If they don't do contracts, write up your own and have them sign it. Our home repair worksheet may help you do that.