El Paso County attorney addresses rising solar panel scams

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- There's a rise in solar panel scams affecting El Paso families, the county attorney said Tuesday. Wednesday, the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid talked about how to identify and report solar panel fraud and invited an El Paso woman to share her experience with a scam.

County attorney Christina Sanchez said the scams impact seniors and residents with fixed incomes. Speakers said Lorena Vargas, a customer, is a grandmother.

She's countersuing Cross River Bank, which speakers said worked with Titan Asset Purchasing LLC and Sunlight Financial LLC, for a lawsuit alleging she owes more than $100,000 in debt for solar panels. Vargas said she never asked for a loan and doesn't own solar panels.

Wayne Krause Wang. the lead attorney in Vargas' case, said the counter-lawsuit alleges Cross River Bank has a history of failing to maintain reliable lending practices. He said Vargas is asking the court to void all solar panel debt against her, stop the businesses from illegally collecting debt she never asked for and seize all "negligent, deceptive and misleading" acts by Cross River Bank against the people of El Paso.

"I got so surprised. My emotions are inside of me. I have to deal with that. I have to fight with that," Vargas said at the press conference.

She also said she never considered adding solar panels to her home since her electricity is cheap.

County attorney Christina Sanchez said scam victims can file a complaint at her office regardless of where a business is from; she said the work must be planned to be done in El Paso County. In Vargas' case, Cross River Bank is based in New Jersey.