How to spot and avoid common scams

We want to help you stay safe and informed by highlighting some of the common tactics used in scams targeting households - particularly those offering financial incentives, grants or upgrades.

Unfortunately, scams are becoming increasingly convincing, often arriving by post, email, or phone, and designed to look like official government or trusted communications.

A recent example: The “Green Homes Scheme”

Some customers have reported receiving letters from a group calling themselves the Green Homes Scheme. These letters offer a £4,000 grant and a 10p increase in Feed-in Tariff (FiT) payments if you agree to upgrade your solar panels through them.

The letter is addressed to “The Homeowner” and looks official - but it’s not legitimate. Feed-in Tariff rates are set by the government and cannot be increased by third-party companies.

Common scam red flags:

• Unexpected contact – You’re approached out of the blue, often with vague greetings like “Dear Homeowner.”
• Lack of clear contact details – The organisation might be hard to trace or verify.
• Pressure to act quickly – You’re told you’ll miss out if you don’t respond right away.

What you can do:

• Don’t respond to suspicious messages.
• Report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
• Spread the word to neighbours or friends - especially those who may be more vulnerable to these types of scams.

We're here to support you - if you’re ever unsure about a letter, offer, or call you receive, please feel free to get in touch with us for advice.