How do you spot a roof hail damage insurance scam?
Short answer. The most common hail scams are contractors who offer to cover your deductible, push you to sign over your insurance money right after a disaster, collect a large deposit and disappear, or even create fake hail marks with tools. Real hail hits are random and appear on vents and gutters too; damage that is clustered, uniform, or only on one easily reached slope is a red flag.
Red flags at the door
- An offer to waive, cover or rebate your deductible.
- Pressure to sign a contract on the spot, before an inspection or an adjuster visit.
- A request to sign over your insurance benefits soon after a declared disaster.
- A large upfront deposit in cash.
- No local office, out-of-area plates, and no references you can verify.
- Claims that they "work for your insurance company."
Manufactured hail damage
Some dishonest crews create damage with hammers, rocks or tools. Warning signs:
- Marks in neat rows or a pattern, rather than random scatter.
- Identical half-moon or crescent shapes.
- Damage only on one slope near a ladder spot.
- No matching dents on vents, gutters, downspouts or air conditioner fins.
- Your neighbors' roofs show nothing from the same date.
Manufactured damage is fraud, and homeowners who knowingly go along with it can be pulled into it.
Georgia protections
- Contractors may not waive or rebate deductibles.
- Since July 1, 2025, it is an unfair practice for a contractor to take an assignment of a homeowner's insurance proceeds within one year of a declared natural disaster.
- You can cancel a roofing contract that depends on insurance if the claim is denied; read your contract for the window.
- Complaints about insurers go to the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.
How to vet a roofer
Check for a local address, years in business, reviews you can verify, proof of insurance, a written contract, and manufacturer credentials. Be home for the inspection and ask for photos of every hit.
More: storm chaser scams in Georgia, deductible rules and assignment of benefits.