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"They're coming. There's no question about it," Economic Crimes Unit prosecutor Jerry Brock said. "The best thing you can do about it is be prepared."

With the immediate cleanup of Hurricane Wilma now complete, Collier County is entering a period of repair with thousands of houses having to be fixed up.

Legitimate builders have months of backlog in getting everything fixed and limited supplies of aluminum. Local officials worry that con artists will step in and deceive people who are desperate to get their homes repaired.

That could lead to people giving someone who shows up at their door $10,000 with the promise they will return in the next few days to fix the house.

"Word of mouth is the best reference when hiring a contractor," Conant said. "If someone is soliciting, I'd be very cautious about hiring them."

Paul Balzano, Collier County contractors licensing supervisor, said he recently got a call from a Collier resident who had paid $20,000 in cash up front so a contractor would fix his roof.

People need to check with the county staff to make sure workers have valid licenses in Collier. They also need to make sure they are licensed for the specific work they are doing, county spokeswoman Lisa Koehler said.

Individuals needing home repairs also should let a contractor apply for all the needed permits. If a contractor doesn't want to do it themselves, that's a sign they are unlicensed to do work within the county.

Koehler said people can check on the status of a company by calling the county's contractor licensing department at 403-2431 or 403-2432. They also can file complaints by calling those numbers.

The county can tell you if a company is licensed to do business. It can also tell you how long they have been licensed and how many complaints have been filed against the company.

"If you hire someone whose office is in Bradenton or Cape Coral, you have to wonder why they are coming so far down to get work," he said. "How can it be cheaper for them to do the work than someone who is local?"

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