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by Kayla Hamlett
Abilene, Texas — A Minnesota woman is warning others after her elderly mother in Abilene fell victim to an alleged door-to-door solar panel scam.
Bruce and Julia Seim noticed new solar panels on their mother's roof during a visit last October. Their mother said a company had promised to lower her electric bill, leading her to sign an electronic contract without receiving a physical copy.
Julia Seim said, "I want a contract mailed to me. 'Oh, we’ll mail that to you, ma’am.' She never got a contract." Concerned, Seim contacted the Abilene police, who advised her to check for a lien on the house.
To her shock, when she checked with the Courthouse, a $43,000 lien had been placed on the property.
Seim reached out to the Texas attorney general's office and discovered the lien was filed in Utah.
Further investigation revealed the solar company allegedly created a fake email in her mother's name. Seim said, "I finally talked to someone at the electric company, and they told me they’d been trying to reach my mom because she had to sign a paper contract before the panels could be hooked up."
The family believes the home was targeted because it was paid off. Seim's mother has lived in the home for 47 years.
Seim expressed her frustration, saying, "I don’t want my mom to lose her house. You know, this is all she has left. My dad passed away 14 years ago. My brother passed away four and a half years ago. So I’m all she has, and I’m 1,300 miles away, so it’s very frustrating.”
She urges others to be cautious about who they open their doors to and to avoid signing anything under pressure.
The identity of the alleged solar company remains unknown.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
