Hurricane Isaias bore down on the Florida Panhandle and Georgia last week. Within days of a storm like this, the knock comes: a friendly stranger with a clipboard who just happens to be fixing roofs in your neighborhood.

On October 9 Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr warned that "criminals will take advantage of those impacted by severe weather," and his office's storm fraud guide spells out how it works. Door-to-door crews promise fast, cheap repairs, then ask for full payment up front or cash only. Some offer to "cover" your insurance deductible, push you to sign before you talk to your insurer, or ask you to sign your insurance money over to them. Then the work is shoddy, or it never starts. Florida's attorney general switched on a price gouging hotline the same day.

The rule: Call your insurance company before you sign anything. Get three written bids, never pay more than about a third up front, and never pay in cash. Report problems in Georgia at 1-800-869-1123 and in Florida at 1-866-966-7226.

Source: Georgia Attorney General: Carr Warns Georgians of Price Gouging and Scams in Anticipation of Hurricane Isaias and Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division: Storms and Fraud

If you used the Cleo AI cash advance app, a real refund may be headed your way. That is exactly why scammers will be watching.

On October 8 the FTC announced it is sending more than $15.8 million to over 2.1 million Cleo AI customers. The FTC says the app advertised advances of "hundreds of dollars" that almost nobody received, and charged extra for "instant" cash that often showed up the next day. Eligible customers will get an email by October 26, and PayPal payments start October 27. Redeem yours within 30 days. Here is the line that separates the real refund from a fake one: the FTC "never requires people to pay money or provide account information to receive a payment."

The rule: A real refund never costs you a fee, a gift card, or your bank login. If anyone asks for one, it's a scam. Questions? Call the official refund administrator, Rust Consulting, at 877-788-4958.

Source: FTC: FTC Returns More Than $15.8 Million to Consumers Misled by Cash Advance App Company Cleo AI

The ad shows a great price. The paperwork shows a much bigger one.

On October 8 the FTC announced a settlement with Greenway Auto Group. The FTC says the dealership group advertised cars for thousands less than it really charged, then piled on mandatory administrative, dealer, delivery, and processing fees. According to the complaint, buyers paid more than $3,350 over the advertised price, on average, in over 92% of sales. Some ad prices also counted rebates most shoppers could not get. Greenway even mailed "you've won" cash prize notices that the FTC says were not real, just a way to get you onto the lot. Under the settlement, its ads must show the actual price you will pay.

The rule: Ask for the out-the-door price in writing before you visit. If a mailer says you won a prize you have to claim at a dealership, toss it. Report bait pricing at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Source: FTC: FTC Secures Settlement with Auto Dealership Group in Price Transparency Win for Consumers

We've covered deepfakes and the Take It Down Act in recent weeks. This week the FTC published the step-by-step plan for the moment no parent wants: finding out an explicit image of your child is online.

On October 6 the FTC said it plainly: possessing or sharing explicit images of children can be a serious crime, "and that includes AI-generated deepfakes." Its plan has two tracks. First, report the person: call local police, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678, and send a tip to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Second, get the image down: use the platform's report button, and if a covered platform has not removed it within 48 hours, report the platform at TakeItDown.ftc.gov. The free Take It Down service at takeitdown.ncmec.org creates a digital fingerprint of the image to help keep it from spreading.

The rule: Report the person and the image on the same day. As the FTC puts it, "Acting quickly can make a meaningful difference."

Source: FTC: Did someone share an explicit image of your child online? Take these steps