Stealing gas and electricity

[Deleted User]

silverwhistle wrote: »

It's a real shame you had to say that as it really taints a lot of your arguments. I'm anti-fracking, and would rather the RECs prioritised dealing with the existing stealing rather than pushing ahead with smart meters, whose rationale is far more with demand management than with curbing theft.

Personally I already do my own demand management: peak loads go on when the sun is out and my panels are generating!

As you have pointed out, they don't currently adequately deal with the existing problem and the existing thieves, but smart meters impact on all of us as well.

See what I mean about pro moaners, anti everything by nature, so you too are anti smart to some degree.

ChumpusRex

PollySouthend wrote: »

Interesting,are these helicopters going out specifically to look for weed growers?

Generally not.

While police helicopters might have thermal cameras, they might occasionally be used to survey high risk areas for grow operations, the high cost of operation mean that they probably don't just idly look for growers, but might take note of them if they spot them if actually out chasing some rapscallion or other.

The electricity companies have thermal camera equipped helicopters. These are used for checking power lines. Malfunctioning or borderline power lines show up as being unusually hot, and any "hot spot" are reported for a close-up inspection and maintenance. Many powerlines run past or close to houses, and any grow operations will light up like a christmas tree on camera, prompting a quick call to the cops.

Ich_2

is to feed me with , say 200 addresses a week in my area, who are low or non purchasers and I would soon get round them all at evenings and nights

Oh like the old Electricity Boards used to do! Amazing how progress seems to forget these tried and tested procedures!!
Though they did ensure they read the meters with a much higher frequency

I_have_spoken

feed me with , say 200 addresses a week in my area, who are low or non purchasers and I would soon get round them all at evenings and nights just monitoring

That's profiling. Raaaaacism!

[Deleted User]

After watching the "Inside Out " prog for 15 minutes I can see the future. We consumers will contiue paying an increasing amount to cover the theft. The thieves can carry on having a free go at nicking energy knowing that no prosecutions will take place and the most they will get back is a rebill.
Only the energy business operates in this way when it comes to basic theft. the Police are as much to blame as they dont get involved in it also as it hurts their precious crime figures. /why could nt the Chinese takeaway bloke face a day in court as well as a 6 grand back billing. Theres no deterrent. This little prog is a good advert for the future fiddler , showing and detailing methods which they can copy. I am complaining to the BBC about the shaven teeth scam, that s going to get them trying that one with increased sales from the Ebay bloke flogging the cheap fake blue seals, ( they are a tenner each by the way )

Wail

It was disappointing.

I do agree with Sasquacco. The amount of data that firms have could generate substantial quantities of leads. Smart Metering is one method for fighting energy theft but energy firms will have to become smarter to really make an impact on energy theft.

SailorSam

When i first heard they were going to show this programme i expected them to be going around big Council estates and knocking on the doors of the roughest families. Never expected to see a blitz on businesss
premises or the likes of that massion in Essex which at a 'dual' supply, the paid section and their their very own private part.
On the main news before the programme started they were talking about criminals that had dug up an entire street to lay a supply to each house, but there was no mention of that in the programme.
And here's me sitting with two jumpers on. What was that Ebay number again ?

[Deleted User]

I_have_spoken wrote: »

That's profiling. Raaaaacism!

All races mate and all income brackets, one last year had a 6 bedder with 3 cars and a tennis court, two top of the range Mercs in his drive. He was made to repay 19k when caught, which he paid up by check there and then. No gas paid virtually since 2005. even a Premiership footballer was caught years ago with a bypass on his swimming pool.That got a 6k payback. Of course no prosecutions for these people, but they expect me to pay for all the ones they dont catch

timbo58

I_have_spoken wrote: »

That's profiling. Raaaaacism!

Hmmmm, the ONLY thing it might be 'profiling' is low energy users' unless you're claiming they ALL also have foreign sounding names?

Apart from cannabis farms where the meter is bypassed at the start of growing after being unoccupied (i.e. no bill before, no bill afterwards) which can be spotted by thermal cameras (as other posters have stated), and low bills previously being fiddled by taking the teeth cogs off before using higher amounts, all other fiddling (i.e. the vast majority) could easily be suspected by a significant drop in bill amounts: hardly sherlock holmes territory I should think?

Frankly I don't like being told 'it's adding £30 to the average households bills' as I don't see why that should happen TBH: these companies have shareholders: are they stating they can't possibly reduce the profit they expect and are therefore adding it to bills?

Hardly any incentive for the companies to tackle the problem then is there?

It's about time all of those companies who add supplements onto honest customers bills to 'pay' for the dishonest started showing this on receipts/invoices/bills so the customer could decide whether they really wanted to pay for the companies ineptitude in dealing with theft- how about naming & shaming in the local paper when you get a conviction and giving the neighbours in the locality a rebate stating why?

Have to also add: if you think a fast food business fiddling the meter is acceptable in these hard times you should 1st think what else they have 'cut corners' on before they went to the drastic measures of getting the meter(s) bypassed?
i.e. poor hygiene, poor ingredients, staff wages being cut, maybe even an unidentified off cut of meat being called 'pork/beef' etc on the menu?
If you want to continue buying from such for outlets thats your choice: I wouldn't touch them if the food was free!

chanz4

Smart meters will stop bypass, reverse polarity and subbing /reversed to a degree. They will send a message to the supplier indicating tamper detected, however if direct to the cut out it wont and will be down to the DNO.

However those smart people wont be happy when they set fire to their house, or kill their child when asleep.

Ofgem and the courts are to blame for the continued thefts, when before a judge they get nothing and ofgem back them to the hills when court red handed and the supplier takes action.

If anyone thinks its okay to buy a meter from ebay, you dont know where its from and when court you will be billed for theft and no matter what supplier you goto they will know your history