4 Red Flags For Home Repair Fraud

The Illinois attorney general's Consumer Protection Division listed construction and home repair improvement fraud as the third most common consumer complaint, after identity theft and credit-related issues.

When you are hiring someone to do home improvement, watch out for these 4 red flags:

1. Cash Upfront. You should never have to pay in cash, and you should not have to pay the whole amount upfront, regardless of payment method.

2. Snap Decisions. Con artists and fradulant companies try to make you decide right away to hire them, by offering "specials" only good for that day.

3. No-name Companies. Be wary of any business that sends its employees door-to-door. Be really skeptical if the employee's vehicle has no company name, no phone number, and/or out of state license plates.

4. No Contracts or License. Avoid doing business with companies that refuse to provide a written contract or an address / phone number where they can be reached.
Be wary if they say that they are licensed, but won't provide a copy of the license.