Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser is urging residents in Mid Scotland and Fife to be on their guard following a spate of scams.
The politician, who represents the region, was reacting to the announcement that Trading Standards Scotland spent two months identifying hundreds of potential scams across the country.
As a result, website pages have been rectified or removed, while more than 70 online adverts were taken down.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “Trading Standards Scotland has said that the majority of these adverts were run by so-called lead generation companies, which gather people’s data in order to sell it on for financial gain. It appears that illicit traders are increasingly taking advantage of Government energy schemes to mislead consumers and trick them into signing up to various offers.
“I would urge all residents in Mid Scotland and Fife to be alert to the risk of scams, and to report any nuisance calls to Scotland’s national consumer advice service, consumeradvice.scot, and to report any misleading adverts to the Advertising Standards Authority.
“Consumers can also contact Home Energy Scotland, which offers free and impartial advice for anyone looking to save money on their energy bills.”
And Julie McCarron, head of intelligence and coordination at Trading Standards Scotland, added: “We would like to remind consumers to be wary of cold callers or social media adverts for energy saving products on social media. Never accept information offered from these sources without doing independent research, particularly if they tell you that there are grants or funding schemes available.
“Before agreeing to have any work done, have an impartial assessment carried out on your home to find out which energy efficiency measures will actually be beneficial to your property. Don’t agree to get an assessment done by a company who cold calls you – they will not be impartial.”