An electrician used to working in homes and with homemade electrical installations, of which there are no more, has discovered a complete electrical fraud and has shown it in a TikTok video that has quickly gone viral. Carlos, known on TikTok as @pcaelectricidad, has shown what is known as an illegal connection to the electrical grid in one of the videos on his channel, a practice that consists of connecting a home’s installation directly before the meter so as not to pay the recorded consumption or pay only a portion.
The video, recorded during a work day, begins with a question to create curiosity in the followers: “Do you want to see an illegal hookup that I saw this morning?” With a close and didactic tone, Carlos tells how, after detecting something strange in the electrical panel, he discovered a suspicious double shunt. “I see it like this and I say ‘how strange’. And when I saw the contact I was already suspicious. The wires are grounding, but well… look at the curiosity: see if wires come through the individual derivation. What is there here? A double derivation. If it doesn’t fail!”, he explains while showing the wiring on camera.
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This is how an illegal hitch is made
The technician, with years of experience in the sector, realizes very quickly that there is electrical fraud: “Look where you can see them already appearing! Look, look, look,…, look where it is! Double shunt. Look how the issue is,” exclaims Carlos, while he shows how the illegal connection to the camera is mounted.
But it doesn’t stop there and goes on to explain with ifs and buts how this type of fraud is committed. “The cable that comes down from the busbar, before passing through the meter, they remove the cover, run a cable directly to the house and hook it there. It was behind the meter. Of course,” he details, revealing a method that is as simple as it is dangerous.
According to this electrician, the fraud is carried out before the electric meter, which prevents the consumption from being recorded and, therefore, the company from being able to bill it. These types of practices, although they seem “innocent” to some, constitute a crime of fraud of electrical fluid, included in article 255 of the Spanish Penal Code. Sanctions can range from high financial fines to prison sentences, depending on the damage caused and the value of the defrauded energy.
In addition to the legal consequences, the electrical risks are very high. By manipulating the system without adequate protections, fires, shocks and irreversible damage can occur both in the installation and in the general supply of the community. Therefore, it is better to see the cost of electricity each day and what are the cheapest and most expensive hours of electricity each day if you really want to save on electricity consumption without putting yourself at risk.
From technical education to viral content
The video accumulates thousands of views in a few hours and is part of a series of publications in which the professional combines technical dissemination with social denunciation. Days before, he had already published another video about the fines for manipulating the meter or altering the electricity supply, anticipating the case that he now shows in practice.
His tone, between pedagogical and humorous, seeks to bring the general public closer to complex topics in the electrical field: “Yes, yes, for you who are watching the video, click on, I usually upload very good videos,” he says while showing the installation. That mix of closeness and technical knowledge has made Carlos one of the most followed voices in the sector, with videos that reveal the less visible side of his profession: from impossible breakdowns to frauds like this one.
The other side of electrical fraud in Spain
Data from electricity distributors in Spain show that supply fraud continues to be a recurring problem, especially in residential areas and premises with high consumption. According to sources in the sector, illegal hook-ups cause million-dollar losses each year and affect both companies and consumers as a whole, who end up assuming part of the cost in the final bill.
Beyond the crime, these cases also reflect the economic situation of many families who resort to these practices out of desperation or ignorance. However, experts insist that legal alternatives exist: from social electricity bonds to the negotiation of payment plans or rate reductions for vulnerable households.
Carlos’ complaint puts a face to a reality that, although many prefer to ignore, continues to be a challenge for the Spanish electricity system: the balance between security, justice and necessity.