Business Consumer Alliance urges consumers to use caution when contacted by contractors shortly after a storm has devastated your community. These Storm-chasing contractors visit consumers at their homes and claim they can complete the repair work immediately. They will ask for a large down payment and sometimes advise unsuspecting consumers to sign over their insurance checks. Unfortunately, for the homeowners, the storm chasers disappear after doing inferior work or no work at all. Hiring a legitimate contractor is essential because your insurance company has to be able to connect the damages to your home to the storm. For helpful tips see the Comments and Analysis portion of this report.