Photovoltaic Roof Elderly Care Investment Scam: Siphoning Property Mortgages Under the Guise of 'Green Leasing'

Who Gets Targeted

The victims are mostly retired seniors over 60 and elderly people living alone, concentrated in old urban communities and county-level towns. While many own their homes, they generally lack professional financial knowledge. Burdened by anxiety over retirement expenses and family responsibilities, they place high trust in government-backed new energy projects and are easily lured by pitches such as 'green elder care' and 'dual returns.' Relaxing their vigilance due to introductions from acquaintances, they take a gamble and sign property mortgage contracts while paying service fees and equipment prepayments in a lump sum. Afterward, photovoltaic power generation earnings and pension rebates cannot be fulfilled, prepayments cannot be withdrawn, and mortgage deposits are completely lost. According to a briefing by the Ministry of Public Security on illegal fundraising cases in the elder care sector, a single case absorbed 1.2 billion yuan involving over 5,000 participants, among whom seniors over 60 accounted for 95% (Ministry of Public Security briefing caliber, August 11, 2025).

骗局怎么运作

• The scam syndicate first hosts 'green elderly care investment seminars' in community senior centers, universities for the elderly, and other venues. They invite lecturers posing as officials from powerful departments or representatives of new energy enterprises, playing promotional PowerPoints on-site regarding photovoltaic power generation returns and pension rental rebates, creating a false impression of project compliance using official rhetoric like 'government subsidies' and 'tax exemptions.'
• They then pitch the 'elderly care via real estate + photovoltaic leasing' bundled model to seniors, claiming that as long as they mortgage their own property to a designated platform, they can install photovoltaic equipment for free. The platform will uniformly operate the power generation project, returning a fixed pension to the seniors every month, with a promised annualized return rate as high as 8% to 12%, far exceeding ordinary wealth management yields.
• The syndicate arranges trained 'project consultants' to visit homes for signing, providing mortgage contracts and photovoltaic cooperation agreements stamped with 'official certification' marks. They also display forged practicing lawyer licenses and notarization documents, tricking seniors into believing the entire process has undergone legal review and is fully compliant.
• After signing, consultants demand large sums of money from seniors under names such as 'platform service fee,' 'equipment prepayment,' and 'mortgage registration fee,' with single amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands to over one million yuan. They require payment in a lump sum via bank transfer or cash, claiming it is a prerequisite for obtaining returns.
• The so-called photovoltaic power generation returns and pension rebates can never be fulfilled. The platform rapidly transfers funds upon receiving payments and later delays refunds using excuses such as 'equipment debugging incomplete,' 'policy approval delayed,' and 'grid-tied queueing.' By the time seniors or their relatives notice abnormalities and demand refunds, the perpetrators have long since vanished or shirk responsibility using contract breach clauses.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Claiming that photovoltaic projects are bundled with elderly care returns, with promised return rates far exceeding stable wealth management products like bank time deposits and treasury bonds.
• 🚩 Requiring seniors to pay large service fees and prepayments upfront, rejecting installments and demanding the full amount be paid at once.
• 🚩 Using expressions such as 'government support' and 'official cooperation' heavily in contract texts, yet failing to provide project filing serial numbers or regulatory department approval documents.
• 🚩 Claiming the project has government endorsement, but showing no record of related filings when checked on official government affairs platforms or new energy project public notification systems.
• 🚩 Liaison personnel evade specific regulatory department names, referring to them only as 'cooperative institutions' or 'third-party platforms,' and cannot clarify the project's competent authorities.

真实案例

• In February 2026, a 71-year-old resident named Liu in a certain province was pitched a 'photovoltaic elder care plan' at a community senior center. After signing a property mortgage contract and paying a 300,000 yuan prepayment, the platform lost contact. Local police case filings showed the total amount involved in the case exceeded 3 million yuan, involving 27 victims.
• In May 2026, Shaoxing police in Zhejiang cracked a 'green leasing' elderly care fundraising fraud case. Twelve suspects used similar pitches to induce 17 seniors to mortgage a total of 7 residential properties, defrauding approximately 5.2 million yuan in service fees and prepayments. The illicit funds were transferred by the suspects to overseas accounts.
• In August 2026, a 72-year-old senior in Shanghai was recommended a 'photovoltaic elder care investment' project by a WeChat group friend. After paying 300,000 yuan, the platform stopped returning funds under the pretext of 'equipment debugging.' Upon inspection by market regulation authorities, the company involved had not obtained new energy project operational qualifications, belonging to an unregistered false business entity.
• In 2025, the Public Security Bureau of Feidong County, Anhui Province, cracked an illegal fundraising case: criminals promoted membership cards such as 'Fu, Lu, Shou' for senior care apartments to the elderly, promising 'enjoying a 10% annual interest rate without checking in.' Enticed by 'high-interest dividends' and 'free experiences,' 95 seniors invested nearly 7 million yuan in total. However, the promised interest was never fulfilled, and the senior care apartments turned out to be empty shells. Fortunately, the related losses were recovered by the police. (Source: [https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260206A039M300](https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260206A039M300))
• In June 2026, BackChina reported that hundreds of seniors had their retirement savings swept away by 'egg' investments, with some being swindled out of 720,000 yuan: fraudsters collected seniors' names and contact information under the pretext of giving away free eggs, vegetables, and group meals, luring seniors into private restaurant rooms to pitch so-called elderly care investment projects. One senior was defrauded of 720,000 yuan in retirement savings. (Source: [https://www.backchina.com/news/2026/06/05/1032269.html](https://www.backchina.com/news/2026/06/05/1032269.html))

Official Stance

• Ministry of Public Security, August 11, 2025, released 'Ministry of Public Security Releases 5 Typical Cases of Illegal Fundraising Crimes in the Elderly Care Sector' (Source: [https://news.cctv.com/2025/08/11/ARTI3QX3hlo1APN2E9S4y1ho250811.shtml](https://news.cctv.com/2025/08/11/ARTI3QX3hlo1APN2E9S4y1ho250811.shtml))
• Office of the Financial Commission of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC, February 9, 2026, released 'Series of Publicity on Preventing Illegal Financial Activities at the Turn of the Year (II) | Warning Cases of Illegal Fundraising: The Shattered Dream of 'Happy Later Years' Investment' (Source: [https://dfjrjgj.hubei.gov.cn/jrdt/202602/t20260209_5873416.shtml](https://dfjrjgj.hubei.gov.cn/jrdt/202602/t20260209_5873416.shtml))
• Department of Public Security of the Xizang Autonomous Region, April 23, 2025, released 'Beware of Lawcriminals Committing Fraud in the Name of Photovoltaics' (Source: [https://gat.xizang.gov.cn/xwzx_3233/jfts_212/202504/t20250423_474666.html](https://gat.xizang.gov.cn/xwzx_3233/jfts_212/202504/t20250423_474666.html))

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ When elderly individuals encounter investment projects involving property mortgages or large prepayments, they should immediately dial 110 or the 12345 government service hotline to verify the authenticity of the project, requesting the other party to provide project filing documents stamped with the regulatory department's official seal, and not blindly trust verbal promises.
• ✅ Family members should actively participate in seniors' large property decisions. Before signing contracts involving real estate or high-value investments, be sure to consult a professional lawyer, check the qualifications of the contracting entity, and confirm whether the mortgage process has been handled through formal real estate registration departments.
• ✅ Do not participate in elderly care investment seminars organized through unofficial channels. For projects claiming 'government endorsement' or 'high interest with guaranteed principal,' query project filing information via the National Energy Administration official website or local government service websites.
• ✅ If you find yourself deceived, immediately preserve evidence such as transfer vouchers, contract texts, and communication records, report the case to public security organs at the first instance, and file complaints and reports with local banking and insurance regulatory commissions and civil affairs departments.