Paying the Price of Power Theft

It's often an “invisible” crime. Someone illegally hooks into a power supply, hooks up a line that has been disconnected, or tampers with a meter to avoid recording electricity usage. Often the impact of electricity theft—including the danger—is unrecognized in the short term.

But power theft carries deadly risks. Many thieves pay for the power they steal with their lives—or with the lives of others. Thieves can unknowingly feed energy back into power lines, endangering lineworkers, who might assume the line they’re working on is de-energized.

Electricity theft makes power service less reliable for paying customers. It also makes the electricity you use more expensive because honest members have to pick up the tab for the stolen electricity and damage to cooperative equipment.

Fannin Electric Cooperative wants your help in preventing and reducing power theft. Here’s how:

• Notify your electric cooperative immediately if you know of an illegally connected consumer.
• Do not cut the seal on your meter base or tamper with your own meter.
• Apply for a legal connection if you don’t have 1.
• Remain aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activities.

Most electrical theft crimes occur through meter tampering, bypassing meters, and tapping power lines. Other less frequent crimes include tapping into neighboring premises, self-reconnection without consent, using illegal lines after disconnection, and electrifying fences.

Everyone is affected by power theft, and detecting and reporting illegal activity will help reduce the price we all pay.