How would you feel if your landlord searched the phrase, “How to not get caught stealing electricity”?
Or if the owner of your favourite takeaway restaurant was watching tutorials on how to steal electricity?
If you wouldn’t feel worried, then you don’t know the dangers. What stealing electricity really means is these people are willing to risk your safety, maybe even your life, to save money.
It might just seem like a cheeky DIY trick, but fiddling the leccy endangers the lives of everyone – and it’s happening all around you.
What is Electricity Theft?
Electricity theft means tampering with an electric meter so that it doesn’t accurately record the amount of electricity being used or bypassing it completely, so it doesn’t record any usage at all.
Why would someone learn how to steal electricity? Some do it to avoid paying their bills, others to help loved ones cope with energy costs. Learning how to steal electricity is also a tactic used by people running illegal cannabis farms.
Whatever the reason, stealing electricity is a serious crime with severe consequences.
What is the Punishment for Stealing Electricity?
Tampering with your meter is a criminal offence. Anyone caught will face a number of consequences, depending on the severity of the crime.
When electricity theft is suspected, the individual will be contacted by an industry expert who will investigate. If the expert confirms that electricity is being stolen, they will have the authority to immediately turn off the power at the premises. The supplier or network operator will take steps to recover the cost of the stolen electricity from the individual responsible, or whoever has benefitted from using the stolen electricity.
If the individual stealing electricity refuses to comply, they may face criminal charges, including substantial fines and up to five years in prison. They’ll also need to pay back the cost of the energy they’ve stolen, the cost of the investigation, and the cost of making the metering equipment safe again.
What is the Real Cost of Stealing Electricity?
Stealing electricity affects everyone – from higher energy bills for the average household to dangerous fires in communities caused by exposed wires and connections.
Someone stealing electricity is leaving others to foot their bill. Energy theft costs us all up to an estimated £1.4 billion a year. This isn’t fair, but the biggest cost is the risk to human life.
Anyone who is stealing electricity is putting those around them in danger. It puts people at risk of electric shocks from light switches, kettles, or other appliances, and when wires get too hot, they can cause sparks and electrical fires.
One Scottish man tried to save money by bypassing his electricity meter. That meter caused an electrical fire that took his own mother’s life.
Anyone who ever feels tempted to tamper with a meter to save a few pounds should ask themselves: is it really worth the risk?
For more information about electricity theft, tips on how to avoid it, and real-life stories, click here.
How to Not Get Caught Stealing Electricity
It’s simple: don’t do it!
However, in just one month, the phrase ‘how to not get caught stealing electricity’ was searched over 300 times online. This could mean over 3,600 new cases of electricity theft each year.
Anyone trying to learn how to not get caught stealing electricity is quite literally playing with fire.
Stealing electricity isn’t about saving money on bills; it’s about gambling with innocent lives. Reporting suspicions could help save those lives.
Learn to spot the signs. If you think somebody is stealing electricity, report it now.
The Carwash Owner That Got Caught
Shaip Nimani, a London carwash owner, bypassed the electricity meter to avoid paying his bills, and an innocent employee was fatally electrocuted in the shower.
The “free” electricity ended up costing Nimani £40,000 in fines and a four-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
The Landlord That Got Caught
A London landlord fitted 22 illegal meters into his properties to offer free electricity to his tenants. He wanted to help tenants with the cost of their bills, but he was naïve to the grave danger he put them all in.
He was caught when a meter was found on the verge of catching fire. The landlord was forced to pay back £90,000 worth of stolen electricity and serve a 9-month jail sentence.
How to Report Electricity Theft
If you saw your boss searching “how to steal electricity”, wouldn’t you want to act? If your landlord offered free electricity, wouldn’t you think that was too good to be true? Just imagine knowing your life was in danger every day you went to work, or every night you tucked the kids into bed.
The Stay Energy Safe service is a completely independent one, run on behalf of the energy industry by the charity Crimestoppers. It’s a hub where individuals can easily report their suspicions online or over the phone, completely anonymously, 24/7. It gives them a place to speak up and stay safe.
Fill out the form here to tell us about someone stealing electricity or call 0800 023 2777. Every report helps to make your community safer for everyone.
Even if you don’t know the exact details, we still want to hear about it. Report the address where you suspect energy theft is taking place, and give us as much information as you have. Information from the public helps suppliers to recognise patterns of behaviour, allowing them to identify people who are stealing electricity and to make the meter, and in turn those who live and work nearby, safe.
So, if you suspect something, don’t wait – do your part today and tell us what you know.
Read more about how we protect your details here.