ENERGY FRAUD … do I report ?

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Hi. I’m really torn on this and not sure what to do if anything . Someone close to me has a business that uses a lot of gas and electricity of which with the rising costs are now thousands in debt .

They mentioned some time ago about knowing someone who could cap the gas meter for a fee . This would slow down the gas meter and produce a much lower bill but wouldn’t close it off completely.

the person close to me was previously paying about £550-600 a month in Gas and I’ve seen their last two direct debits have now dropped to under £100 a month for gas ( no way this is accurate ) they told me they didn’t get the gas capped because they couldn’t afford what they guy wanted paid to do it but it’s clear looking at the recent drop compared to the last 6 months that they have indeed done something to the gas .

Im annoyed because I too like all of us are paying a lot to even heat our homes and here is someone on purpose committing fraud and I believe it could be dangerous as this is a commercial business surrounded by flats above .

Do I report it or ignore it

Would they even take a report seriously ? Has anyone ever had to report for energy fraud ?

How would partially capping a meter make a difference anyway when it reads the volume of gas used ?

The interesting thing is to do the analysis (or at least try).

Gas bill £500, turnover £20000. So energy costs about 2.5% of the turnover.

Guessing the gas bill has quadrupled at the very maximum. So energy costs rise to 10% of turnover.

That could be accommodated by increasing prices to the customer by 7.5% (or some appropriate fraction like my chip shop has).

If energy costs remain low or are lowered by "means", then either a) the owner can increase product costs and pocket the difference (accepting turnover may be reduced), or b) maintain lower costs and gain an inappropriate competitive advantage over their competitors who are following the correct procedure and having to increase their prices as a result.

Irrespective of the law, neither of which I find very morally appealing, especially when businesses are actually being given government energy relief for energy used.

Sure, you'll get qualified (dodgy) tradespeople doing it but you also get random people who look on Google for instructions. In my experience most of the people who did it were NOT trained engineers and ended up creating a dangerous mess.

The "best" one I saw was someone who had done something (long time ago so I can't quite remember what) to both his gas and electricity meter. The meter reader saw that the gas had been tempered with and right next to it were some loose, live electricity cables. Apparently he poked one (why?) and it sparked. The only reason the place hadn't gone up was because the supply went into the garage so there was some air circulating.

Turns out the guy was growing cannabis and got confused between the gas and electricity meters. Testing his own products I guess.

Good for you - we’re all different

We should all do this really - sick of getting bent over in this country!!

Engineers poke is to test the mechanical integrity of an installation.

If an installation can't cope with a light poke of a pencil or other insulated tool it's really not up to much. Generally wires should be secured, because if they are flopping around at some point the wires will break, or the connections will become loose under the weight of the wires acting on the connection.

Same reason why radiator pipes are generally secured to walls by clamps, to relieve the stress at the joint points.

The poke is generally not calibrated - it's something of an art to ensure that the poke is strong enough to test reasonable endurance, but not so much that it wrecks an otherwise good installation.

More than you needed to know I guess. 🙂

lemmein · Yesterday 18:19
We should all do this really - sick of getting bent over in this country!!
....................

I'm sorry to read that you are being 'bent over' in this country, whatever 'bent over' means. Why specifically this country, would it not happen elsewhere? I have an average income, am not 'bent over' and live in the UK. I wouldn't grass someone up for something like fiddling the utility bill - and we don't know for sure that the person is doing that.

Explosion in jersey

1 dead
12 missing

likely gas explosion

OP?

Actually, i would report. And i'm usually in the live and let live camp. Messing around with gas supply can have devestating consequences.

This. I’m absolutely astounded by the attitudes on this thread. So dangerous but it’s ok so long as nobody grasses.

Great society we live in

Keep your nose out. None of your business

Not my horse, not my rodeo.

Anyone who thinks not reporting is acceptable due to the case of "keeping your nose out" should read the news from Jersey today...

I bet all those families wish whatever issue called that gas explosion was identified.

This!!

I've put YNBU purely on the safety aspect. I know quite a few people who do this, I would live constantly on edge if it were me.

Completely dangerous to be interfering with gas supply at all. we all want cheaper bills but not at the expense of putting others and ourselves at risk. Stupid thing to do have people no comman sense at all.

No, Don't be a cunt.

No, Don't be a cunt.

The person stealing it a cunt putting people's life's at risk, but your morals are vastly different to mine, have you not seen what's happened in Jersey.

What type of relationship is it where you see their energy bills/direct debit? Is this somebody you work with/for?

If your moral compass is so badly affected by what they are doing address it with THEM...I wouldnt even dream of reporting them.

Personally I think your distaste should be directed at the energy companies who financially rape us without a second thought. They are the reason you cant take baths anymore not your friend.

Good for your friend tbh

Why on earth would you choose an energy company over a friendship? Society is doomed.

YABU because you dont actually know whats going on and are assuming.

If you knew someone whose not a profesional tampered with a gas line then report it because its an explosion risk but what are you actually going to report here?

'My friend is paying less than me in gas and that can't possibly be right because they are making lots of money and use to pay a lot I think, they say they haven't done anything but I don't believe them so come do them for fraud'?

This!

Yes!

Too dangerous. I’d report it.