Hotline of power engineering specialists:
Specialists of security units of IDGC of Centre and IDGC of Centre and Volga Region continue their systematic work on suppressing the activities of advertising and selling electricity meters to residents of the regions with built-in special devices that can underestimate the amount of electricity consumed, and other goods that can be used to distort meter readings.
According to the results of the monitoring of the Internet, since the beginning of 2019, the security units of IDGC of Centre and IDGC of Centre and Volga Region have identified 122 information resources on the Internet, calling for the purchase of devices and accessories for lowering the readings of electricity meters. For all the facts, the employees of the energy companies have prepared and sent statements to the prosecutor’s office. According to the results of inspections conducted by supervisory authorities on the basis of these statements, 14 materials have already been sent to courts of various instances to initiate the procedure for blocking network resources.
“Interference in the operation of metering devices is unacceptable! Everyone who resorts to such means of “economy” needs to understand that punishment is inevitable,” emphasizes General Director of IDGC of Centre - the managing organization of IDGC of Centre and Volga Region Igor Makovskiy. “Similar Internet resources offering “illegal energy saving technologies” to the consumer should be closed as fraudulent ones. The most effective way to stop such sites is to block them. Therefore, we firmly intend to go to the end in the fight against such an offense and plan to inform the relevant supervisory authorities on each fact revealed by us.”
The power engineers warn that consumers themselves are also punished for using such meters and interfering with the operation of metering devices in order to underestimate their readings. In case of detection of theft of electricity, the violator not only compensates for the damage to the electric grid company, but also is brought to criminal or administrative liability with the payment of a fine. It should be noted that since 1 January 2016, Russia has tightened its administrative responsibility for unauthorized connection to grids and the use of electricity, as well as violating the rules for using electricity and the rules for constructing and operating energy-consuming installations. In particular, the size of fines for unauthorized connection and use of electricity have been increased.
Please, be reminded that not only power grid companies, but also good citizens, who regularly pay electricity bills, suffer from criminal acts of electricity thieves. As a result of energy theft, power surges occur in the grid, household appliances of neighbours break down, probability of electricity interruptions and fires increases.
IDGC of Centre and IDGC of Centre and Volga Region intend to consistently seek compensation for damage caused by unscrupulous consumers and call on everyone who becomes aware of cases of theft of electricity, illegal connection to the electricity grid, manufacturing, distribution and use of meters with built-in special devices that can underestimate the amount of electricity consumed, to report this to the Contact Centres of the energy companies: IDGC of Centre: 8-800-50-50-115 or short number 13-50 (for landlines); IDGC of Centre and Volga Region: 8-800-100-33-00 (toll-free call).
