A BATCH of bogus energy saving devices are circulating in Dorset that trading standards say are electrically unsafe and pose a fire risk.

Now officers are urging people to be on their guard against cold callers selling these fake devices after tests revealed they don’t save any energy at all.

Dorset County Council has received a number of complaints from people who have bought the devices.

Consumers are receiving telephone calls from people claiming to be working with their energy supplier, offering a device for £99 that they claim will save 40 per cent from energy bills.

The callers appear very credible, they often have the consumer’s details including which energy supplier they use and some, or all, of their debit or credit card details.

So far five ‘suppliers’ have been named; 1 Stop Marketing Solutions, ITC Development Corp, Power Saver, Athico Ltd and Sorbet. The companies use an accommodation address in London and appear to be based in the USA or India, although the devices have been posted from UK post offices. In a further twist some of the original victims of the scam have since been contacted by a ‘claims management company’ who say they will send a cheque to pay between £2,000 and £3,000 in compensation once the consumer buys a UKASH voucher for somewhere between £100 and £300.

Ivan Hancock, Dorset County Council trading standards service manager, said: “These unscrupulous businesses appear to be operating a scam, from outside the UK, by targeting older people who may be attracted by any solution to rising energy costs.

“Given the experiences nationally we believe there will be many more consumers in Dorset that have been targeted than we know about.”