Energy Supplier Switching Fraud

UK businesses, especially start-ups, should beware of the latest fraudulent scam doing the rounds along the following lines.

You may be bombarded by unsolicited phone calls from a scammer claiming that your business doesn't appear to be "registered" and in passing they ask who your current energy supplier is. (Such people simply buy databases of new phone numbers and target the new owner.) The scammer may cite “credit history problems” at the previous address or with the previous occupants.

Hence, some time later someone phones up claiming to be from your current energy supplier. They spin a yarn saying that due to problems with your credit history (for example), you have to renew your energy deal and may also have to pay a deposit of say £500. The scammer puts you through to a "broker" who offers to "register you" with an energy supplier that doesn't need a deposit. You might find yourself put through to "utility meter registration".

Basically the scammers impersonate an energy broker, sign you up over the phone and they pocket their commission on the sale. Before you know it, you've been conned into switching to a more expensive supplier. The verbal contracts appear to be impossible to undo. I know of several firms targeted by this scam and unfortunately one fell for it.

As at November 2013 the supplier BES Commercial Electricity is putting out this warning:

WARNING: It has come to our attention that a fraud is being perpetrated regarding Security Deposits.
Customers of gas suppliers are being contacted by telephone by a purported representative of the supplier and have been asked to provide a Security Deposit when one is actually not required by the supplier. If you are contacted by an alleged representative of BES requesting such a deposit please would you take the details of the caller and then terminate the call without paying the said deposit. Please would you then call us directly to verify whether we have actually made the request? We thank you for your assistance as we wish to help to eradicate this fraud.

• Also check this link:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-1695429/Small-firms-tricked-by-electric-switch.html

It seems impossible to reverse such a fraud and at least one small startup now has an energy deal he did not want or need.  If you have recent experience of this, please get in touch.