Are photovoltaic panels suspected of fraud

Are 'upselling scams' causing a surge in solar panel fraud?

However, homeowners making the most of the Government’s solar panel drive have increasingly fallen victim to conmen. Citizens Advice has warned of a surge in solar panel fraud, particularly “upselling scams” in which cold-callers convince customers to upgrade technology they already have to meet fabricated legal “standards”.

Are solar panels a scam?

One of the first signs of a potential scam is unsolicited approaches or door-to-door sales. A reputable solar panel company does not typically use these tactics and instead is more likely to rely on referrals or marketing campaigns. As we mentioned before, another red flag is excessive discounts or too-good-to-be-true offers.

Are 'fake' solar companies a scam?

Beware of any company asking you to make a big deposit before they have completed their installation. This is one of the most common ways ‘fake’ solar companies have targeted consumers – whereby they take a hefty deposit and then never turn up to carry out the installation. This is common solar scam.

Are solar panels being targeted by fraudsters using feed-in tariffs?

Households that have already installed solar panels are also being targeted by fraudsters using publicly available information from feed-in tariffs, warned Dr Tim Jones, of Cornwall-based charity Community Energy Plus.

Do solar panels have a fault?

This was by far the most common cold call solar panel owners said they received, with 44 per cent having been approached about this. However, technical faults with solar panels are rare, with nearly seven in 10 of those surveyed saying they had not experienced a fault with their system.

Are You at risk of a misleading solar panel scheme?

Thousands of households are at risk of falling victim to misleading solar panel schemes which are up by 50 per cent over the last year, data from Action Fraud reveals.