if you're not careful .. some devious scam artists can really take you to the cleaners. ktbs 3's julie parr has more on what to look out for... new at 6 when severe weather hits the region .. so-called "storm chasers" will often go door-to- door. police say they wil use high-presure tactics to try to secure repair jobs. the best advice we can give is to get bids, get several bids from other individuals that do that type of work. texarkana, arkansas police spokesperson kristi mitchell says residents should use caution when hiring any contractor. police say scam artist will target a neighborhood right after a storm. that why they say it's a good rule of thumb .. before any work is done to check references.. and never pay up front. and then they are out of town with the cash, that's what is so hard with us on trying to find these individuals because we don't know anything about them and most often they're not even from here. mitchell says residents should also make sure the contractor has pulled a permit from the city. the city will check to ensure that they have their arkansas ntracrcense whi quired by the state of kansas for y repair over 200 dolars. blic worksrector paul ckleman saysnaors mustt "city" permit regardles of the st. ys storm ctims shoulalso t a copy of the ntractor'ssuranceif they don't have l the things end to run busine andotect you om damagey may do . it's st a dl at they may t be thentractor for u.lie parr, ktre news. for more consumer formaon on ormepair scams .. to bdot comand click on this story. coming up .. new