Scammers may go around impacted neighborhoods posing as government officials or private contractors requesting upfront payments for home repairs that never come to fruition.

“They go and prey on the most vulnerable people,” said Curtis Hill, the supervising advocate for outreach and disaster response for Disability Rights North Carolina, who has seen three hurricanes hit eastern North Carolina in the past eight years.

Trejo, from Los Angeles County, expects scams to continue after the…