Generous rebates attract scammers. Ontario’s Home Renovation Savings program warns that people are creating fake websites, offering unauthorized rebates, and impersonating participating contractors and approved service organizations. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Red flags
- Someone claims to be from the government, Enbridge Gas or Save on Energy. The program says these organizations don’t solicit homeowners by phone or door to door.
- Rebate amounts that don’t match the official site. Check homerenovationsavings.ca directly by typing it into your browser.
- Pressure to sign today. A legitimate company will let you take time to check their credentials.
- Requests for your SIN, banking or credit card details just to check eligibility.
- Ads and websites that look official, using program names and logos, and push loans or payment plans.
How to check an Energy Experts consultant
Energy Experts is an independent company, not a government program. Every one of our consultants and installers carries a photo ID badge with a QR code and a six-digit badge number.
- Scan the QR code with your phone’s camera, or go to energyexperts.io/verify and enter the badge number.
- Match the photo. The page shows the person’s photo, name, title and whether they’re currently authorized, live from our staff records.
- Don’t accept a screenshot. Only a live lookup counts.
- Call us at 1 (833) 366-7465 if anything feels off. A real consultant will happily wait.
If a badge comes back as not found or not authorized, don’t let the person in, sign anything or make a payment.
If you think you’ve been targeted
Report it through the official program site, homerenovationsavings.ca/scams. You can also report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Consumer Protection Ontario, the Ontario Energy Board, or your local police.