Attorney General Warns of Post-Flood Scams

SAN MARCOS–After floods ravaged the city and its surrounding areas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held a press conference in San Marcos today to warn locals of potential scams and price gouging. He also visited emergency and volunteer centers across San Marcos and Wimberley to observe damage caused by the floods.

“Throughout these storms and floods, we’ve witnessed the courage of our first responders and the generosity of neighbors coming together to help their fellow Texans,” Paxton said. ”The last thing people who have lost everything need are bad actors taking advantage of their circumstances. To that end, I’d like to caution everyone in any area affected by flood to be extremely careful with people selling you services.”

Flood victims are warned to hesitate when signing a contract with contractors from out of town, to ask for references when hiring and to verify contractors with the Better Business Bureau.

Once the governor issues a disaster declaration, state law requires vendors to cease charging excessive prices for necessities during and after a disaster.

“In Texas, the Office of the Attorney General is the voice of the victim – whether that’s a victim of a crime, the victim of a storm, or, unfortunately, sometimes both,” Paxton said.

Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster in the following 70 Texas counties:  Angelina, Archer, Bastrop, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Burleson, Caldwell, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Collin, Comal, Cooke, Denton, Dewitt, Eastland, Edwards, Ellis, Fannin, Fayette, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Houston, Jasper, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lamar, Leon, Liberty, Lynn, Madison, Milam, Montague, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Parker, Real, Red River, Refugio, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Smith, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Wharton, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, Wise and Zavala.

Texans in one of these counties who believe they have been scammed or encountered price gouging should call the Office of the Attorney General’s toll-free complaint line at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online.