The National Insurance Crime Bureau says insurance claims from hail storm damage have skyrocketed 84% over the past 2 years.

Bureau director of Public Affairs Frank Scafidi says about 468,000 hail claims were filed in 2010, jumped 40% to over 689,000 in 2011, then increased another 25% last year to almost 862,000.

Scafidi says the huge jump was the most startling finding of the analysis of a period of severe storms occurring with more intensity and affecting more areas of the country.

The report didn’t speculate on why the storms are occurring and increasing, saying only that the effects can be crystal clear: extensive property damage and the loss of life.

Texas…by far the largest of the 48 contiguous states…had the most hail damage claim filings over the 2-year period with almost 321,000. The next 4 were Missouri (138,857), Kansas (126,490), Colorado (118,118) and Oklahoma (114,168). Nebraska was #11 with 24,385 hail claims.

Scafidi says his organization is concerned about the big jump in hail claims because there are contractors and homeowners who will take advantage of a storm to make fraudulent claims…including claims for work not done, using lower quality materials than reported, or for projects not actually covered.

Scafidi says customers with hail damage…especially roof damage…need to be on the lookout for scam artists following a storm. He says there’s no need to rush into a contract with a contractor who just shows up at your house because those often are scam artists.

He recommends calling your insurance company first after a storm and following their advice on what to do and what contractors to use.