The scheme issues certificates when an eligible system is installed. A phantom installation breaks the link between the certificate and the system. It may be a house where nothing was installed, a larger system claimed than was fitted, or a job that was never started at all.
Variants
- No system at all. The address is real or invented, the photos are not.
- Not as stated. A smaller system, a different brand or fewer panels than lodged.
- Not complete. Declared finished and generating when it was not.
- Wrong site. The claim describes a system at one address that sits at another.
- Not by the stated installer. The claim names an accredited installer who did not install or supervise it.
Real cases
CER has publicly reported prosecutions where an installer claimed 11 systems that did not exist, creating 1,390 STCs and about $50,000 in payments, and where an installer falsely claimed to have installed or supervised systems while out of the country. A South Australian electrician pleaded guilty over 62 installations. See the penalties page for outcomes. In 2026, CER also suspended a company for declaring systems complete when they were not.
How they get caught
Phantom claims leave traces. Photos do not match other data. Serial numbers are reused. The same photos appear at different addresses. A homeowner tells the regulator no panels were installed. An installer claims two jobs in different places on the same day. CER’s inspection program checks real sites; see site inspections.
Red flags for traders and agents
- volume that does not match the installer’s crew size
- jobs at addresses with no connection history or unusual location patterns
- photos with identical backgrounds across addresses
- late-night or bulk uploads
- serial numbers that fail validation or repeat
- reluctance to supply original images
A trader that pays on a phantom claim faces the loss when the STCs are invalidated; see who pays. That is why compliance desks review photos, forms and serials before anything is lodged.
What this means for installers
If you are a legitimate installer, your risk is not committing fraud, it is being tied to it: a subcontractor who fabricates jobs under your accreditation, a sales partner who invents leads, or a lax sign-off process that lets a bad claim through. Review your subcontractors’ work, check that attendance is real, and never allow your accreditation details to be used on jobs you did not supervise. See installer attendance requirements.
For the overview, read what counts as STC fraud, the STC trading overview and how it works.