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High risk Carbon and green schemes

Carbon credit and green energy investment schemes sold on an unverifiable project

A scheme sells carbon credits or a stake in a green energy installation using the name of a real, registered project, without the seller holding any genuine right to the credits or the asset itself.

How the scam works

  1. 01

    A seller names a real, independently registered carbon offset project or a genuine renewable energy installation to lend the offer credibility.

  2. 02

    Investors are told the credits or the installation's output will appreciate as demand for carbon offsetting or green energy rises, and are shown projected, fixed returns.

  3. 03

    No genuine transaction links the seller to the project named. The credits sold belong to someone else, have already been retired, or were never issued by the project at all.

  4. 04

    The arrangement unravels once a buyer attempts to verify ownership or sell the credits on, at which point no genuine registry record supports the seller's claim.

Warning signs

  • A named project that is real and verifiable, while the seller's connection to it is not.
  • No independent confirmation that the seller holds, or is authorised to sell, these specific credits.
  • A green energy investment promoted with no named firm holding FCA authorisation, or promotional material never formally approved.
  • A fixed, guaranteed return quoted for an asset whose value genuinely fluctuates with demand.
  • Reluctance to provide a credit serial number, or a project reference that cannot be checked against the registry that issued the credits.

How MetaAshes helps you check

A MetaAshes assessment examines the details a firm has given you against the official record. For this type of fraud, the most relevant checks include:

  • Carbon credit project verification
  • Carbon credit ownership
  • Carbon credit availability
  • Green energy site verification
  • Payee name verification

View all 69 checks

If you have already sent money

  1. Contact your bank immediately and explain that you may have been defrauded.
  2. Report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
  3. Report the firm to the Financial Conduct Authority.
  4. Be wary of anyone who later offers to recover your money for a fee.

This alert describes a general type of fraud for information only. It does not refer to any particular firm and is not financial or legal advice.