And how can I protect myself as a consumer?
Poor workmanship, not qualified for the project, getting into the project and then asking for more money when it is not warranted etc.
Do your homework before you go into CONTRACT with a contractor. Visit the Better Business Bureau, ask for past client references.
You’re at BuildZoom, so you’re definitely ahead of the curve. 
If the Contractor asks for more than a small down payment before beginning work. 15% should suffice to order material to start a remodel job.
The most common scams are in devastation areas where scam artist posing as contractors perform work in a very unprofessional manner (if the work is performed at all). Verify, verify, verify never take the word of someone trying to secure money from you.
I would look for contractors that have allowances for cabinets, front door, flooring and so on. This is not bad if the allowances are reasonable and the product and work can be performed for the allowance.
I also would say watch out for pickup truck contractors.
There are 2 reasons that fit this term.
They do not have an office.
They sub out all of their work and do not know how to do the work the subs are hired to do. When this is the case it is hard to know if the sub is really doing good work.
A good contractors scope of work should be details and legible, avoid high pressure sales man, and follow your gut feeling
Bait and switch. One of the oldest tricks in the book. Low bid to get your foot in the door, and then raise the roof. Contractors usually know about 70% of the change orders they may encounter but they fail to disclose this in the beginning of the project in order to keep their bid lower than others. Once they get start demo - the change orders starting rolling in.
One of the biggest scams we have seen is that they request a bigger down payment than permitted by state law and they then take off and never come back.
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I have helped people out of bad “contractor” situations in the past and the reasons these come up is always because there is a “rush to get the project done” before basic search/review and recommendations are followed up upon.
First - validate that they have a current license. I know in MA it is a simple google search which leads you to a state maintained database. Additionally, in MA they require a "Home Improvement Contractor Registration. The Office of Consumer Affairs in your state should have a website that highlights what a contractor is required to have to be a licensed contractor. Do a online search!
I also recommend people doing a search for their business name. In one case a “contractor” said he had a company ABC Inc. I searched the State’s corporate database and found that their company was no longer valid. A sure sign that something is not correct …
Do a google search / map search on the prospective contractor’s address. Does it exist? Can you see a street view of the property? Does the address exist?
Require a contract! Most state’s require contractors to provide a strict agreement according to local laws. Never do a project without a contract/agreement.
Google the contractor name or their company. You may be surprised at what you can find by a simple google search.
All of this searching takes about 20 minutes if you have never done this before … these simple steps, along with other people’s suggestions to ask whether deposits make sense …
It does not hurt to ask for references as well … along with the addresses of the work for the references. Pictures of the job would be a plus … and if you don’t have the time to drive by the address, do a google map search … you would be surprised what you can find just by sitting in front of a computer!