State warns of imposters posing as employees to sell solar systems

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) — The state is warning the public of a new scam involving imposters going door-to-door.

The state received several reports of fraudsters claiming to work for the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority and Green Energy Money $aver (GEM$) Program.

Officials say they’re using “aggressive sales tactics” to try to get people to buy solar systems.

HGIA employees do not sell solar systems, nor do they educate the public about its financing programs through cold-calling, door-to-door sales, door-knocking, or similar practices, officials said.

If you encounter a salesperson who claims to work for HGIA or the GEM$ program, or you experience aggressive sales tactics in a pitch about HGIA’s programs, you can:

• File a complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection at consumercomplaint.hawaii.gov or call (808) 587-4272.
• Contact HGIA at dbedt.greenbank@hawaii.gov or call (808) 587-3868.

Information that may be helpful to report includes the salesperson’s name, company and any audio or video recordings of interactions with the salespeople.

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