Cold calls offering boilers and prying into older people’s finances in the process are sadly on the rise – but you can be well prepared.
The Age Scotland Silverline, a dedicated helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people, has recently seen a spike in these types of calls.
There have also been reports of companies surveying for a ‘free’ boiler, and then telling householders that they are not eligible for a full grant and will have to pay several thousand pounds for the rest of the work.
One woman called the Helpline to raise concerns after her parents, who are in their 80s, were repeatedly targeted. They received 15 calls in the space of a few days, despite having registered with the telephone preference service.
She said: “On one day they had four or five calls from different companies selling boilers, some of whom made out that upgrading was a legal requirement. They were also asked for personal details about their finances, including whether they were receiving pension credit or other income support. This suggests that these companies are targeting people on lower incomes on the assumption they’ll be a soft touch.”
Age Scotland Silverline Manager Heather Smith said: “There’s clearly a growing number of unscrupulous traders prepared to exploit older householders’ legitimate concerns about rising fuel costs, and to hang onto the coat tails of those genuine efforts being made to make homes energy efficient.”
If you’re an SSE customer, or a customer of one of our associated brands, and have any concerns about a call you’ve received offering energy efficiency advice, or boiler deals, then call us on 08000 727 222.