LANSING ? Attorney General Dana Nessel is reminding residents of important consumer alerts to avoid additional hardship in advance of the dangerous winter storms that are expected to hit Michigan this week.?

Nessel is reminding people to be alert for government imposters or bad actors attempting to provide relief in emergency situations, and to know the law if their vehicle is towed due to an emergency situation.??

"Bad actors look for emergency situations to scam people out of their hard-earned money,? Nessel said. ?Our Consumer Protection team remains committed to investigating complaints from anyone who believes someone is looking to take advantage of devastating situations.??

If your home or property is damaged from the storm, Nessel urges residents to research contractors to avoid having an emergency repair become a financial disaster.?

High winds could result in power outages for some communities, and Nessel is also reissuing her Utility Imposter Scams Consumer Alert. These types of scams often involve a threat to turn off a utility unless the resident pays a certain amount of money in a short amount of time. But scammers can also impersonate a utility company to convince a consumer a utility - like electricity - can be fixed sooner if they pay an additional fee.