The Scam Spotter Guide
How to spot a scam & what to do if you’ve been scammed
Worried about scams when trying to access grants and Government schemes? It’s a valid concern - with reports of people having their boiler taken and replaced with a broken one or being asked for pre-payment on free solar panels. Untrustworthy operators do this to deceive customers, to get your money or sell your items for profit, so it is important you know how to spot a scam from the get-go.
At Nottingham Energy Partnership, we deliver reliable, government-funded home improvement measures, such as insulation, which are often free or subsidised. Sometimes we are questioned whether we’re legitimate. This is good! We encourage you to be cautious when giving people personal information for free products, and to always ask all the questions you need to feel comfortable.
Just in case you aren’t sure how to detect a scam, we have created this Scam Spotter Guide to help you know what to look for, when a new company makes an offer that appears too good to be true. In this article we’ll cover:
Red Flags to watch out for
How to identify a legitimate government scheme.
How to check if a Contractor is Trustworthy.
Things to note and questions to ask
What to do if you have been the victim of a scam:
If you have been targeted by a scam there are a few steps, you can do to ensure you are safe and stop it from happening to anyone else.
If you have given any bank details, ensure you call your bank and tell them you have been scammed and need to cancel your cards. The bank will be able to help with this, often having their scam team who will help to retrieve your finances if possible.
Once the immediate danger is over, you should contact Citizen's Advice. They will be able to advise you on how to report the company to the authorities and ensure that you are safe.
Red flags to watch out for:
1. If you have been contacted out of the blue:
If a company contacts you and immediately asks for personal details (such as bank information) or requests that you pay for something or send money, you should stay away. Banks, charities, and other reputable organizations rarely call without warning to ask for sensitive information.
One way to check if the company is who they say they are (e.g. your bank) is to call the number on the official website and ask if they have contacted you. They should be able to advise you from there.
2. If the website isn’t professional:
Scammers can often be lazy, allowing their websites to include spelling mistakes, look unprofessional, or exclusively use stock images (photos that are not of real jobs or people in the company, which often look too polished).
Reading the terms and conditions can also be a good indicator. Check to see if they make sense. If the terms and conditions are not included or look like they are copied from an irrelevant source, they are almost always a scam.
The website's branding can also be a good giveaway, if it is a scam, the website may look dated or be hard to navigate. Other things to look out for on a website are if the logos are of low quality or don’t match on different pages. Make sure you also check that any time the website is mentioned, it matches the name of the website.
Another thing to check is the actual website address. Sometimes scammers will try to replicate genuine companies. For example they may use very a similar name, with only a dash, or a single letter differentiated from the genuine company’s website. Some scammers copy real websites and can make them look very realistic; the only difference is the website address.
You should be suspicious is if there isn’t a padlock next to the website address:
As you can see above, NEP has a padlock next to our website address which means you are safe on our website and hackers cannot access your details. If a website doesn’t have this, you should be very cautious.
3. If the company is hard to contact:
If the company does not have an address or a real phone number, be wary. If they only contact you through text, or when you call them they don’t answer, it is a reason to be suspicious.
Legitimate businesses often have multiple contact sources, including: phone numbers, email, address, and social media. If a company only has a website and a phone number, it is not a good sign.
Another thing to be aware of is that certain phone numbers cost more money to call. For example, 07, or 0115, is a standard rate covered by all phone contracts, however numbers like 09 cost premium rates.
4. No written confirmation of work
One of the biggest scams we face in this industry is people claiming to provide free grants, such as offering free air source heat pump installation and then leaving the person without any heating.
Any registered and trustworthy company will give you confirmation of what work is going to take place, and a breakdown of costs if there are any.
5. Too good to be true?
While many people believe that nothing is free, and if something is free they will think it's automatically a scam - this isn’t always the case. There are many government grants which can provide you with free things if you qualify. However, receiving these grants is often a lengthy process, with finance checks, address checks, and home assessments before any work can begin. It takes time and a lot of paperwork which we ensure is explained to you beforehand. If someone is telling you that you can receive expensive things, such as solar panels, for free without checking your details and requiring proof - they are more than likely a scam.
How to identify a legitimate government scheme:
There are many Government grants and initiatives available to help the public during this energy crisis, but it is hard to know what is legitimate.
Follow these steps to check the legitimacy of a project or scheme:
Check their website thoroughly, as explained above, to make sure the contractor is legitimate
Check your Local Authority Website and see if it is on there.
Check NEP’s website here or give us a call on 0115 985 9057 so we can advise you of grants or schemes in your area.
How to check if a Contractor is Trustworthy:
1. Check Companies House:
Firstly, you can check - Companies House - GOV.UK to see if they are a registered UK company. You should be able to see a detailed history of their company, when they were formed, as well as their paperwork filings each year, and make sure that they haven’t dissolved. The more information here the better, as it demonstrates a well-established organisation. Additionally, their company number should be displayed on their website – usually at the bottom. This will help your search. If you cannot find the company on the government list, it means they are not real and likely a scam. Companies that are on the list but have been listed as dissolved should also not be trusted as they are no longer legally processing.
2. Check TrustMark:
Check Find your local tradesperson • TrustMark - This is the Government Regulator for companies and contractors being accredited to undertake certain work. Firstly, find your contractor by typing their name into this list. If you cannot find them, try typing it in slowly as there is a drop-down list of organisations. If you do not find them on this list, that is a red flag as it means they are not working to a high standard and so have not been accredited. If they are on the website, when you click on them, it should come up with a list of services that they are accredited for, as well as their License number and scheme provider.
Sometimes an organisation might have two names – for example Nottingham Energy Partnership and Nottingham Energy Partnership Limited etc. This could be because they have different scheme providers for different work – for example, insulation and heating separately. This is fine if they are accredited to do the work that they said they could do for you.
3. Check Checkatrade / Trustpilot / Google reviews:
You could then go a step further and find them on www.checkatrade.com to have a read over their services and make sure it matches what you want from them/what they are offering. Additionally, have a read over their reviews and their company information as well. You can then support this information and see if they have any reviews on Google and on Trust Pilot. You could even see if they are on social media and see if they have any recent pictures or reviews.
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1. Name and address of the contractor, to check the above.
2. Individuals' names who will be visiting on what day – check their badges on the day.
3. Ask to see and keep copies of the paperwork in advance of the works being done.
4. Keep your own copies of the signed documents
5. Get everything in writing
6. Do not give them any money.
7. Check your EPC to see what insulation and heating you already have - Find an energy certificate - GOV.UK . However, please be aware these can sometimes be out of date, or you might not have one if you have lived in your property a long time. However, it is likely that contractors will use this to see what works could be done to your home.
8. Be wary if you are in a conservation area or if you live in a listed building, if in doubt contact your Local Authority as each will have different guidelines.Understand what you are signing - Guide to UK Planning Permission: Process, Types, and Regulations
Nobody likes getting scammed by someone they thought was a genuine company trying to help them, but if it does happen there are resources to help you.
Get emotional support if you’ve been scammed - Citizens Advice
Understand what you are signing - Guide to UK Planning Permission: Process, Types, and Regulations
If you would like more information about the services we offer, and how they’re free, please call us on 0115 985 9057