Recently the Government announced a new business energy price cap to take effect from the 1st of this month for all UK businesses. Whilst this is good news for your business as it means you are saving money on energy bills, it has also brought about a lot of confusion.
Unfortunately, this has led scammers to take advantage of misunderstandings over the government’s support. Ofgem has issued alerts of many companies being targeted by scammers, with some trying to get people to sign up for the support using bank details.
Other scams to look out for as a business could include emails using Ofgem branding claiming to offer an energy bill rebate scheme. To avoid giving any of your business information to a scammer follow our tips below.
Understand the energy price cap
To avoid someone taking advantage of you misunderstanding the energy price cap, make sure you fully understand what this means for your business. The more your business knows the harder it will be for someone to try to take advantage.
As we said earlier many scammers are trying to get people to “sign up” for government support using bank details. However, this support is automatically added to your energy bills. To understand what the business energy price cap really means for your company, read more here.
Watch out for fake emails or calls
Your employees need to be aware of what a fake email or phone call looks like. A scammer could pretend to be your supplier or an energy regulator. To avoid making any agreement with these scammers do not agree to anything over the phone or give in to the pressure as these calls are usually really pushy.
If you are one of our customers and suspected a scam phone call, then contact us using the number on our website. As for a scam phone call pretending to be your energy supplier, call the customer service number on your energy bill or ring off a number on the website.
As well as phone calls it is also always best to stay vigilant when it comes to your emails. If you receive emails that claim to be from your energy supplier but the branding looks unfamiliar or they are asking for payment information, then don’t respond to the email. The best thing to do is to get in touch over the phone to ask a real representative if it was a real email or not.
Be careful when giving payment information out
A reputable energy company or broker should never ask for payment information or bank details over the phone. Scammers will always try to get you to pay in unusual ways such as asking for your bank details over the phone.
Common scam tactics usually include trying to panic or rushing you into paying for something. A reputable energy company or broker will always have a process that you will need to go through before payment.
Make sure you only speak to legitimate companies about your energy bills
If a company that you haven’t heard of before rings you regarding your energy contract it is always best to do some research on them to ensure they are a reputable company. If the person you spoke to is a scammer pretending to be a broker or energy consultant, then there is usually not much information online about them.
A reputable business will usually have a Website. Take time to look at this carefully to authenticate the business.
Also, investigate whether the business has social media. No social media or out-of-date pages can usually indicate a scam.
Ensuring that the business has a physical address and privacy policy on the website could also indicate the legitimacy of the caller.
Having a healthy amount of suspicion can be a good thing when it comes to speaking to new companies that you have never heard of before, especially when they will be dealing with your energy bills.
Different types of scams
Scams can come across in many ways such as:
- Phone calls- claiming to be from either Ofgem, your energy consultant or your energy supplier
- Emails
- Social media
- Instant messages
- Text messages
- Pop-ups on a website
Typical scam signs
One of the first scam signs could be a deal that seems “too good to be true”. Scammers always lure people in with the “cheapest prices”, however always beware of someone offering a dramatically lower price than other businesses. This might not always be an indication of a scam, but this is how scammers will try to lure you in.
As we said earlier a scammer will always try to get you to pay through unconventional or unusual methods. This can include an over the phone contract.
Scammers will always try to rush you into deciding or putting a payment through urgently. Don’t allow yourself to be rushed on the phone always take your time to think things through or schedule a call back with the company. This will allow some time to do research on the company before signing anything with them.
What to do if you have spotted a scam
If you believe someone has contacted you, pretending to be a business that you already work with for example your energy supplier. Make sure you ring them using a number on the website or the phone number on your energy bill. A real representative from the energy company will be able to tell you if the contact was legitimate or not.
If a scammer does reach out to your business or your business has been scammed, you need to report it straight away.
If you're looking to save money on your energy bills then why not get in touch today? The relationships Resolve Energy has developed with over 24 of the UK’s biggest business energy suppliers allows our energy experts to source the best business energy rates available for your company right when you need them. Request a free quote today and start saving money on your energy.
