New scam regarding cold calling of victims in relation to Solar Panels
Cheshire Police and Cheshire Trading Standards working in collaboration have identified that a new type of scam has recently started throughout the North West of England (including Warrington, Manchester and Liverpool) involving solar panel companies operating from these locations who have been targeting people by cold calling them at home by either telephone or a personal knock at the door.
Once contacted the victims have been informed that there are “government grants” available for funding and have also been told that a “soft application” will be made. In reality all this means is that the solar panel companies are applying for funding using the victim’s details. They are completing all the applications online and by using their own email address’ are ensuring that all documentation is sent to them and that the victim has no record of any finance being obtained using their details. The victims are often vulnerable and/or elderly and do not have the means to pay back any finance that has been taken out without their consent or knowledge as they are led to believe that the electricity generated will cover the cost of the solar panels being supplied and fitted.
We have spoken to a vulnerable victim in Cheshire who has been visited at home. She has recently had Solar Panels fitted to her roof by a company from Warrington. She has provided us with all the available paperwork but there is nothing to show how the solar panels are being financed. Direct questions have been asked about how she thought the solar panels were being funded but she could offer no clear explanation.
Contact also been made with the finance company who provided the funds for the payment. They have stated that sincethe first week in January they have received ten complaints of similar loans being set up via a web portal. All correspondence is then sent via Email which the victim has no knowledge of as it goes directly to the solar panel company. As such it is likely that the victim would have no knowledge of the loan. The finance company also state that in many cases the solar panels are not fitted to a finished standard or are not signed off as correctly completed thus rendering them as virtually worthless.
Cheshire Trading Standards have had one other allegation regarding the company based in Warrington. This however was from a resident in Merseyside who had solar panels installed but then discovered following a call at home from their bank that a loan to pay for the solar panels had been taken out without their knowledgeor consent. They were able to cancel the loan through their bank before any payments were made.
In most cases further investigation is required to ascertain if a fraud has been committed. In some cases the householders do actually want to have the solar panels fitted. It might also be the case that the extra revenue from the electricity generated would pay for the loan that bought the solar panels. However the solar panels must be fitted and must be signed off as completed to the required standards. Conversely understanding on the part of the householders as to how the solar panels are being paid for is required before entering into a contract with any company.