Electric company claiming fraud?

[BronBrons2022]

Trying to keep this as short as possible.

Northern Ireland electricity have sent me a letter claiming they found evidence of unrecorded electricity use of so many units over the course of a year. I have no idea what the hell they're talking about. The house I'm in is incredibly old as was the meter so They came out months ago to replace my old meter, said there was a problem with its wiring but still replaced it. They have no evidence of anything otherwise and I genuinely have no clue what to do about this? Can they take me to court?

[des8]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Hi and welcome.

Have they said what this evidence is?
Have they said how they know how many units if it was unrecorded (ie their calculations)?
Have they suggested it was illegal?
How long have you lived in the property?
Were you resident during the period of this non recording?
How much is involved?

[charitynjw]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

This was a common occurrence donkey's years ago when I was working in Liverpool. (Not that I'm suggesting that it was isolated to that region.........)
If you know what you're doing you can bypass any meter (usually gas &/or leccy, but I've seen it done with water as well).
In the latter, as it was feeding a large private indoor swimming pool/gym/sauna etc, quite a 'saving' on metered water bills!

Btw, I'm not advocating the practice, merely stating that it's possible.
& I would not contemplate doing such a dastardly deed myself!

[BronBrons2022]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Hi Des,

1# No they haven't mentioned what evidence they have.

2# Not have they mentioned how many units. Come to think of it I never put those two together. How WOULD they know how many units are being used if it was unrecorded?

3# Yes they're suggesting the meter has been tampered with.

4# I've only lived in the property two years. It had a very old meter that they said needed replacing and had to come back a second time as there was apparently something wrong with the wiring.

5# No I wasn't. One period was around Christmas time where I was at home for a month. I'm hardly ever home because of college, training and my son's classes.

6# 3775 units which converts to 528 pound.

Also the letter they sent out is an agreement. As such they want me to sign to agree that this is a fiat estamation and agree to pay it.

[Kati]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Also the letter they sent out is an agreement. As such they want me to sign to agree that this is a fiat estamation and agree to pay it.

could you email this to me with a link to the thread so I can redact and post up?? It might help people to advise xx

[charitynjw]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

One way they can intimate 'suspicious' usage is by referring to historic records.
Over a period of time they can see how much energy is used & when it is used, and substantial deviations can flag up a potential problem. (Especially underuse).
Obviously this can often be explained (Prolonged absence from the property, change of energy-using appliances*, even change in previous habits.)

But it would seem coincidental that this has occurred in close proximity to the meter change.

*A classic example would be changing electric night storage heaters for gas central heating.

[BronBrons2022]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Hi Charity, the meter change came with me being accepted to my course full time and I became a carer. This combined with full time care of my son (who has special needs) I was rarely in the house and even less so after.

[des8]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

When they removed the meter did they leave with you a note of the MPAN (21 digit number)?
Have they advised you of your right to have the meter independently tested and examined for signs of tampering?
They must tell you what evidence they have for tampering ... it s not sufficient for them to say usage is not normal, especially as your usage pattern changed.
Have you advised them of your change of lifestyle which occurred at that time?
When the meter was removed was it sealed in front of you?

NI Electricity have to prove the alleged tampering was caused by you .... on the info provided they seem to be some way adrift.
The meter may have been tapered with, but possibly by a previous occupant.

[charitynjw]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Imho you should be wary of doing anything which could be construed as admitting to this.
Abstracting electricity is a criminal offence (s13 Theft Act 1968).
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/section/13

They have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you dishonestly diverted the electricity.
As yet they haven't even told you what their proof is.

[ostell]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

It looks like they could have been comparing the useage over several years and nobody told the comparison program tbat their was a new customer with possible new habits. The old meter could have been reading low as friction increases on worn out bearings.

[BronBrons2022]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Hi Des,

1# no they left nothing like that. All they said was that they would need to come back a second day (which never happens apparently) to fix the wiring.

2# No they gave us no information about our rights to have the meter tested. I actually didn't know we had any.

3# They didn't mention the evidence they had. Just that they wanted us to sign the agreement.

4# No the meter wasn't sealed in front of me as I was out of the room.

When they changed the meter I was in the midst of changing to a different electric company. Upon calling them I was told I wasn't allowed to change as I was being investigated for meter tampering. The man who I spoke to said he wasn't accusing me and that it could have been a previous occupant. I said that was fine. When I still couldn't change a week later I rang them again to have them tell me I was being investigated personally. I told them this wasn't right and repeated what the previous person told me. The agent confirmed that they had spoken to Northern Ireland electricity and everything was sorted, that it was a mistake. Then I received this letter on Saturday.

Charity, how do I avoid accidentally admitting to something like this? I'm horrible at legalities.

[charitynjw]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

Charity, how do I avoid accidentally admitting to something like this? I'm horrible at legalities.

If you had nothing to do with meter-tampering (& as yet they haven't offered any proof), it's probably best not to say anything that may incriminate.

As things stand, they are saying that electricity has been used but somehow not metered & therefore not accounted for or charged.

If I was the innocent customer I would be wanting to know how it was done, & how they calculated the shortfall

[BronBrons2022]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

I'm not sure what would be considered incriminating though as I don't know what they mean by tampering. I will be contacting them on Monday to inquire about this all though I don't even know where to start other than to ask what the hell they're talking about and how they're calculating something purely on estimation.

[des8]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

when dealing with these people please, please keep everything in writing.
Any phone calls.... confirm the content of the conversation in writing.

[charitynjw]

Re: Electric company claiming fraud?

AfaIk, Northern Ireland Electricity do not generate or supply electricity; they own & are responsible for the infrastructure.

Who is the supplier?