Homeowners beware: Solar rebate phone scam
Queensland homeowners have been alerted to a new phone scam in Brisbane that is related to a 'solar rebate'.
The scammers lure people in with the attraction of a $2,000 rebate on solar, and then request the homeowners' bank details.
Minister for Energy and Water Supply, Mark McArdle, said that residents in the Aspley area had been receiving calls from scammers claiming to be part of the Queensland Government's "renewable energy team".
"This is a scam. The Queensland Government makes no direct payments to residents under the solar rebate scheme" McArdle said.
"The best way to beat the scammers is for people to not be drawn into a conversation and immediately hang up if they receive a phone call like this."
Anyone who has received a similar call should speak to the Office of Fair Trading on their hotline - 13 74 68.
"The old adage that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is, certainly applies in this case," he said.
"Payments would only be made to a consumer by an electricity retailer – not the Government – if electricity is generated above and beyond a household’s electricity use."
Homeowners should not be providing their bank details to people they do not know or trust, regardless of the institution they claim to be from.