What is the roofer storm-chaser scam?

The roofer storm-chaser scam is one of the most damaging contractor scams by aggregate consumer loss. The Texas Department of Insurance, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, and Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies have all issued public consumer alerts on it. The playbook is consistent across markets.

Day 1 (storm day). A major hailstorm or windstorm hits a metro area (Dallas, Denver, Tampa, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Kansas City). National hail tracking maps publish the impact zones within hours.

Day 2-7 (canvassing). Vehicles with out-of-state plates (often Texas, Oklahoma, or Florida operators chasing storms nationwide) start door-knocking the impact zones. The pitch: "We noticed your roof has hail damage. We're offering free inspections. Insurance will cover it — we'll handle everything."

Day 7-14 (the AOB pitch). After climbing the roof, the contractor presents photos of "damage" the homeowner cannot verify from the ground. Some damage is real; some is fabricated (using a marble or ball-peen hammer to manufacture hail strikes), some is normal aging packaged as storm damage. The contractor presents an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form: "Just sign here, and we'll deal with your insurance directly." Signing this form transfers the homeowner's insurance claim rights to the contractor. The contractor now negotiates with the insurer for the highest possible payout — and pockets the difference between what they bill and what they actually deliver, with no homeowner oversight. Florida had to pass restrictive AOB legislation in 2019 after billions in insurance fraud.

Day 14-30 (deposit and disappearance, or substandard work). Two failure modes from here. Failure mode A: the contractor takes a 20-50% upfront deposit and disappears before materials arrive. The LLC dissolves; the homeowner finds out the operator is now in another state pulling the same playbook. Failure mode B: the contractor performs substandard work — wrong nail length, no ice-and-water shield, no synthetic underlayment, used uncertified sub-crew, no permit. The roof passes initial visual inspection. The warranty claim fails 2-5 years in when the manufacturer voids the warranty for non-certified installation, and the contractor is long gone.

Defense playbook:

1. Never sign an AOB. File your insurance claim yourself, get the insurance adjuster's estimate, then hire a roofer separately.

2. Verify in-state license. California C-39, Florida CCC, Arizona C-42, Oregon CCB. In no-license states (Texas, Colorado, Illinois), verify Secretary of State entity registration with at least 3 years of in-state history. An out-of-state operator with no in-state entity registration is the signature storm-chaser pattern.

3. Verify workers compensation directly with the carrier. Roofing is the highest-fall-risk trade — if a worker falls on your property and there's no WC, you can be sued personally.

4. Get a second opinion before signing. A reputable in-state roofer who didn't door-knock you can verify or refute the storm-chaser's damage claims.

5. Cap deposit at the legal limit (California 10% or $1,000, varies by state).

6. Require permits on the work. A roofer who skips the permit is shifting liability to you.

7. Verify manufacturer certification (GAF Master Elite, CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred) at the manufacturer's website.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) flags out-of-state operators with no in-state license or entity history, surfaces prior complaints across multiple state boards (storm-chasers often have complaint trails in their home state), and runs phoenix-company detection. See also the broader storm-chaser-contractor-scam topic for the cross-trade version.