Contractor Fraud and Garage Safety Tips

Tips for Preventing Contractor Fraud

Below are safety tips for preventing contractor fraud

• Do not do business with someone arriving at your home in an unmarked vehicle. A legitimate company will have their business name and license information prominently displayed on their vehicle
• Beware of unknown people soliciting work and certainly do not let them into your home
• All contractor companies certified by Angie’s List are licensed and insured. You can trust these companies. Membership to Angie’s List is now free
• The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations has a webpage. Check to see whether the contractor you are interested in has a license.
• Let the seniors in your life know not to seek businesses from the Yellow Pages. Often these are unreliable, dishonest companies.

Check online reviews of contractors before you hire them. Yelp, Google and Angie’s List are great sources for reliable reviews.

Tips for Garage Door Safety

Breaking into a garage is far easier than you can imagine. It only takes 6 seconds or 10 seconds, if your garage door opener is using a fixed code. See if your garage door opener is vulnerable. If you have an opener with a fixed code, consider upgrading to one with a rolling code; it’s far safer.

• Get alerts from a smartphone garage door controller when your door is opened.
• Don’t leave your garage remote in plain view in your car.
• Always lock the door between the garage and your house.
• Once inside your garage, a thief has easy access to your home without neighbors or passersby noticing.
• If fumbling for keys is not your thing, consider a keyless deadbolt, which can be unlocked with a remote.
• Lock all other doors or windows to your garage.
• Frost the glass on your garage windows so no one can see in or add window film.

Check with your garage door vendor to see what safety or security features are available for your model.