To think even if your struggling then hacking your metre for free electricity is still not on

[mpje]

NC to be anon, but I just don't think this is right at all. I kind of want to tip off someone about this theft, but I know if she gets caught she will be in a bigger mess.

It's more a WWYD?

I wouldn't report it but some of the things people are saying about and to the op are disgusting.

even though you wouldn't register the difference would you really report someone for this? Genuine question

Yes, because if they resorted to stealing, then they need far more help than I am qualified to give.
They take a fiver from me this week, and who do they steal from next week? and the week after?

The OP says that reporting this will cause a "bigger mess" for the neighbour - but sometimes, to break the cycle, and get the help needed, it needs to happen - because unchecked, it won't just be a fiver, it'll mount up to thousands.

I might report someone when I got my electricity bill and thought about how some of what I'm paying is effectively a subsidy to cover those who are stealing it

Do you think your bill will go down if you shop people? It won't. But
I guess you can keep warm with that little glow of righteousness you'd get, knowing that people will be cold AND be heading for court.

happy that's not my experience at all. I genuinely struggle. I can't get any additional benefits like pip as I dont 'look' disabled enough to help. But I still have the additional costs on top. E.g taxi fares to hospital appointments etc. Those I know of who screw the system never run out of gas / electric and always have food shops delivered weekly without fail. They probably wouldn't struggle desperately either as many would have their "absent fathers" wage still providing for them? Right? but I'll shut up now because I'm probably just projecting

By rights I should be one of those who reports these people but I never have done and never will. I've got far more important things to worry about than what Mrs Y up the road is up too. I'm just saying in a way, I have a right to be spiteful and report but I dont. So to the pp who suggested the OP may be spiteful, maybe, just maybe, they are concerned from the safety aspect of it with it being electrical. I wonder if the replies would be different if the person was siphoning off gas instead. Both are dangerous. Just in different ways.

Do you think your bill will go down if you shop people? It won't.

No, but if the overall revenue of the electricity company goes up because everyone is paying for the power they use, then the Directors won't demand quite as much of a price increase each year.

Its amazing that there are some people who believe these kinds of crimes are victimless and those people who don't get one over on "big business" are mugs.

I haven't read the full thread but I really think you have came across as you don't really care about the electricity company, but in reality your just pissed off they are getting that for nothing and your being spiteful now you have found this out and now your going to put her in more shit! You know she will be in such a bigger mess you admitted that yourself!

Own your decision to report the fact your pissed off about her getting it for nothing and don't hide behind the "oh but it's theft of the electricity company" you don't really care about the company

@ I'm glad you've decided to report it.

The safety issues can be massive. There have been house explosions where gas meters have been bypassed (last one I read about was Manchester) and house fires where electricity meters have been bypassed.

Tinkering with these devices is very dangerous...that's besides the ethical issues of theft irrespective of who it's from (there's no such thing as a victimless crime).

My late dad used to do this too. He used to go away with work too! My mum said the guy came to read the meter one day and she was really wondering what he was going to find. Well either my dad had put it back to normal or the guy was a sweetie and said nothing!

Also - clocking the car. Oh yes. He did that too. And the noise doing it is so flippin obvious! He was so lucky he didn't end up in court over something.

So no, I would not report. There but for the grace of God and all that.

Keep out. This is t like stealing perfume and handbags. This is a neccessity. Let it go.

"It is also potentially dangerous, for the person, family and neighbours."

@LIZS has a good point. When I was a newly qualified nurse, living in a shared house, we noticed that we were getting electric shocks in the kitchen. It started in just one area, and gradually spread until we could touch anything metal without getting an electric shock. The sink was metal, so we struggled to wash up, because the water in the sink conducted the electricity!

We reported it to the electricity board, who came out and did some checks in our house and some of the neighbouring ones, and told us that the reason our house was gradually becoming 'live' was that the neighbour's a couple of doors down had bypassed their meter, to steal electricity.

Luckily no-one was hurt, but if we hadn't reported it when we did, it could have worsened and become hazardous.

That said, I have every sympathy for someone who is struggling so much that they feel forced to do this.

Do people realise how risky it could be? Electrical fires are a very real risk and the devastation that could be caused is huge. Electricity really shouldn't be messed with. If you know a firefighter ask them what they would do- I bet the majority would report!

You have to report, I work in this industry and the risk of fire is much greater.
It has nothing to do with being right, or even the stealing.
it is creating a hazardous environment for those kids and it needs to be put right.

I agree with SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius she had to what she had to do. She empathised with them that it must be so hard for them to do that. For safety reasons she had to report them. The Op in my opinion hasn't come across like that. She said that she earns the same as her so how can she be struggling. I'm guessing that she has also seen her spread sheet with her in comings and out goings. For safety reasons she should report it but at least show some empathy towards your friend and her family. You don't know how hard she has it for her to use drastic measures.

No, but if the overall revenue of the electricity company goes up because everyone is paying for the power they use, then the Directors won't demand quite as much of a price increase each year.

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but really?

If she is a friend be there for her when they start their investigation. She could end up spending a short time in prison.

It's really dangerous. My DF works in the industry and has gone to so many places where the residents were so lucky-he's also had to call the fire brigade on so many occasions as well as they had to be there in case of fire. Then they also have to others from the electricity company to ensure their staff are safe and send more staff out. That's just increasing the bills for everyone else. And it's usually those that can afford the bills doing this.If they call the electricity company, they should be able to work out a plan.

So many posters saying that it is ok to steal.

Eye-opening how many people think it's ok!

Clocking the car is not such a victimless crime though. Presumably your Dad clocked his car to sell it to some poor unsuspecting person myfavourite? That is basically stealing from someone.

I'd definitely report. I actually give money to a charity that deals with child poverty in the UK though so I'm not sure where that puts me.🤔

I would always report shoplifters too.

Of course it's OK to steal. All property is theft.

I second SDTG.

Jacking your pre-pay meter is highly dangerous. Not only might you electrocute yourself, your family, your neighbours or friends, it can also create extraordinary problems in the wider neighbourhood.

We have had years of problems with our electricity supply (daily power cuts etc) because people have been jacking the grid in our area and bypassing meters. It got very bad when a cannabis farm did it and drew down extraordinary amounts of power from the grid.

The subsequent instability of the supply (repetitive power cuts after only a few minutes of power returning after a previous power cut) damaged a lot of people's electrical equipment in the area. It was frying people's PCs, sending house alarms off at all times of the day and night, resetting alarm clocks, cutting out oven timers, damaging clothes as washing machines would stop working, but more over, it was causing a lot of accidents as people tried to move around in the dark. One house had a small fire because a candle fell over onto a rug.

I know a number of work from home people who lost a fair whack of money because they lost work or had to replace damaged electronic equipment because of the supply issues caused by other people jacking the grid. It damaged one of my PCs beyond repair and I had to fork out £400 for another one.

People are seeing this issue as a "victimless crime" but, in truth, there are very few victimless crimes. It is just that people cannot see the victims in these cases because they are not immediately apparent.

You think theft makes it more expensive for everyone?

Don't worry about the people stealing electricity for their homes. Utility companies are notorious for being extremely poor at billing and invoicing. I worked for a council recently who had been carrying an accrual for electricity for a block of flats for 6 years and it was £4m. That wasn't unusual but was the most dramatic example. They couldn't even find the meter up read it and claim their £4m. You're angry with the wrong people OP

I love how peoplr assume that people commiting a crime must be doing it because they have no other choice.

Do people really believe that people only steal because they need to and never because they just want to?

I'd do what I could to talk some sense into her, to stop doing it from the danger side of things.

I used to a have a friend, he fiddled his gas and electric, he's now dead, found burned to death in the back yard where he had tried to escape, his house burned down. the cause was the fiddling of the meters :-(

I miss my friend, I tried many a times to tell him to stop, but turned a blind eye, if I had reported him he might still be alive now .. instead I live with the guilt :-(

^^