Electricity fraud: detection through nationwide consumption comparison

On 10 March 2026, Enedis carried out a simultaneous inspection operation across mainland France, targeting business premises for which signs of fraud had been detected.

At the same hour, teams inspected 134 installations, in coordination with law enforcement and the electricity suppliers of the establishments concerned. The action forms part of the national anti-fraud plan rolled out since 2024.

The inspections particularly targeted the retail sector, notably franchised outlets, where significant inconsistencies in electricity consumption had been identified.

Fraud among businesses is characterised by more elaborate tampering than that observed among private individuals. Some interventions affect not only the meter but also the measuring devices connected to it, weakening the installation as a whole and exposing people on site to risks of electric shock and fire.

The detection method is instructive: Enedis compares observed consumption with that of similar establishments in the same line of business. This sector-based analysis complements existing arrangements and enables more precise targeting of inspections carried out by sworn technicians.

It illustrates what massively available metering data makes possible: identifying discrepancies that no random inspection would reveal.