Electricity: Enedis raises alarm over Linky meter fraud

"Over the past three years, we've observed more than 100,000 tampered meters, and it's clearly increasing," Bertrand Boutteau, director of anti-fraud operations at Enedis, told the press. The operator claims that these frauds cost it "several hundred million euros per year."

On Tuesday, Enedis launched a national anti-fraud operation, carrying out a total of 121 simultaneous checks, primarily in urban areas. "We don't have a typical fraudster profile or more prone areas; everyone is affected," explains Bertrand Boutteau.

The bypass system that diverts electricity consumption is complex to set up, but once placed on the meter, it can conceal around two-thirds of its energy consumption.

Since Linky meters are connected, Enedis teams are notified as soon as someone intervenes on the device. And if the company subsequently notices a drastic drop in consumption, it will suspect fraud and intervene.

"Here, we see that the restaurant owner has reversed this cable, which allows him to subtract a large part of his consumption. Normally, he consumes 85 kilowatt-hours per day, and since May 2024, we have noticed that he is only at 25 per day," notes Damien, a technician for Enedis, during an inspection carried out in front of journalists in Rueil-Malmaison, west of Paris, on the tampered meter of a large restaurant chain.

These frauds have exploded since 2022 with the increase in energy costs, but also due to the dissemination on social networks of videos with techniques for reducing consumption by manipulating Linky boxes, according to Enedis.

On the internet, there are also many offers offering the services of a "specialist" to tamper with your meter, or some sell seals imitating those installed by the company.

"It's a real scourge," emphasizes Laurence Magliano, spokesperson for Enedis. "Every year, the equivalent of the Charente's electricity consumption is defrauded." "We contact the platforms and ask them to moderate this content, but we need to strengthen this aspect of our action," concedes Bertrand Boutteau.

What sanctions?

Once the fraud is discovered, Enedis asks the fraudster to pay what is owed and submits a group complaint to the public prosecutor, who, according to the company, practices "zero tolerance." Enedis does not disclose the number of successful complaints, but fraudsters risk fines of up to €75,000 and five years in prison.