Utility & Energy Scams
Utility and energy scams impersonate your electricity, gas, water, or broadband provider. They use fake overdue bills, refund or rebate lures, disconnection threats, and bogus grant, meter, or efficiency schemes to collect payments and card or account details, or to gain access to your home. They often spike when energy costs rise and people are anxious about bills.
Common red flags
- A bill, refund, or disconnection threat demanding urgent payment
- A link to pay or confirm details outside your provider's app
- Unsolicited 'grant', meter, or efficiency offers
- Callers or visitors pressuring you about your supply
- Requests for card or account details to avoid a cut-off
Utility & Energy scam guides
Energy Supplier Switch Scam
In this scam, doorstep or phone sellers pose as energy 'switching' agents or your supplier, pressuring you to sign up to a fake or worse deal, or to hand over bank and account details.
Smart Meter Installation Scam
In this scam, callers or doorstep visitors claim you must pay for or urgently book a smart meter installation, charging bogus fees, seeking bank details, or gaining access to your home.
Prepaid Meter Top-Up Scam
In this scam, fraudsters sell prepaid energy meter top-ups at a discount, often door to door or online, but the credit is illegitimate, so your supplier later reclaims it and you lose both the energy and your money.
Water Company Doorstep Scam
In this scam, callers at your door pose as water company staff offering testing, meter checks, or 'quality' inspections to gain entry, charge bogus fees, or distract you while an accomplice enters.
Boiler Grant Scam
In this scam, calls, ads, or doorstep visits offer free boilers, insulation, or energy grants, then harvest your personal and bank details, charge bogus assessment fees, or push costly, unnecessary work.
Energy Disconnection Threat Scam
In this scam, callers or texts pose as your energy provider, threatening to disconnect your power or gas within hours unless you pay an overdue bill immediately, usually by unusual methods like gift cards or transfer.
Green Energy Grant Scam
In this scam, callers, ads, or doorstep agents offer fake government green energy grants for insulation, solar panels, or heat pumps, harvesting personal details, taking deposits, or signing you up for poor-value work.
Doorstep Meter Reading Scam
In this scam, someone posing as a meter reader or utility inspector arrives at your door seeking entry, account details, or payment, to gain access to your home, steal information, or charge for bogus issues.
Energy Refund Phishing Scam
In this scam, texts, emails, or calls claim your energy supplier owes you a refund or rebate, urging you to click a link and enter bank or card details to receive money, which are stolen instead.
Frequently asked questions
Can my utility supply be cut off without warning?
How do I check a utility refund or grant is real?
Someone came to my door about my meter or energy. Is it safe?
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