Billed $11,640 For Solar Panels She Never Signed For; This California Woman Warns: 'Somebody Needs to Stop Them'

In a shocking incident that has left many questioning the practices of some home improvement companies, Sacramento resident Andrea Bokreta found herself billed $11,640 for solar panels, which she insists she neither ordered nor received. “I thought it was a mistake because I knew I didn’t sign anything,” Bokreta told CBS13's Call Kurtis. 

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Bokreta recounted a meeting with a representative from the solar company Freedom Forever about a year ago. Though she initially considered installing solar panels, she ultimately decided against it. She was told she needed to provide her Social Security number just to get an estimate, but she decided not to move forward. Despite this, she later discovered that the company had processed a loan in her name.

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It turns out Andrea isn't alone in this. Over the past few years, plenty of Californians have reported similar situations. Many suspect they've been caught in a larger scam involving fraudulent solar panel contracts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has logged over 180 complaints against Solar Mosaic, the lending company, since 2019.

Earlier this year, nearly 100 people from Los Angeles rallied outside Solar Mosaic's headquarters in Oakland. They claimed they'd been collectively scammed out of around $3 million and accused the lender of collaborating with contractors to issue fake loans for home improvements that never happened.

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One of those affected is Geraldin Alvara, who hired Viridi Construction in 2021 to turn the garage at her Los Angeles home into a rental unit. The project was supposed to cost $150,000, and Solar Mosaic approved the loan quickly.

Alvara was told the contractor wouldn't get paid until the work was done. But six months later, with no work completed, she discovered Solar Mosaic had already handed over $54,000 to Viridi. Alvara's situation spiraled out of control fast. "My biggest fear is that we're going to end up homeless," she told Oaklandside. "This house is everything to us." Alvara has been struggling to repay the loan without the rental income she'd been counting on, and debt collectors have hounded her.

Freedom Forever also responded to Bokreta's claims, asserting "significant factual errors" in her account. They showed CBS13 documents they claim to have her digital signature via DocuSign. According to Freedom Forever and Solar Mosaic, Andrea viewed and signed the contract and loan documents, but she's adamant that she never agreed to any of them.

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Since 2017, the California Contractors State License Board has fined Freedom Forever more than a dozen times for various violations. The state is now trying to revoke the company's license and has already begun the process. Two state attorneys have sued Solar Mosaic, raising concerns about their lending practices.

Freedom Forever has since worked with Bokreta's lender to cancel the loan, and Solar Mosaic has sent her a confirmation. But for many other homeowners, the nightmare isn't over. Some have lost their life savings and are still waiting for a resolution.

Andrea, who's seen her health take a hit from the stress, is beyond frustrated. "Someone needs to put an end to this," she said.

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