Scheme 1. It is also the most common one – fictitious verification. Fraudsters disguised as special inspectors come to the apartment of a gullible owner. Their task is to convince the owner that the meters are faulty and need immediate verification. Otherwise, the owner of the apartment will have to pay according to the rules.
As a result, fraudsters create the appearance of verification: they inspect the meters and copy the data into their documents. But all this is fiction. After such an inspection, the meter will remain unverified. And the apartment owner will have to pay for the work of fictitious specialists. On average, they charge from one and a half to two thousand rubles. Whereas verification of the meter by a certified company costs several times less. And they really do their job, and do not imitate it.
2. During a fictitious inspection, would-be inspectors can deliberately and silently tear off the seal from the metering device and then threaten the owner: they will supposedly report the missing seal to the relevant organizations, and they, in turn, will impose a fine for illegal water consumption. According to the scammers, for such a violation the owner will have to pay a fine of fifteen to thirty thousand rubles.
In fact, it is illegal to use meters without a seal. This amounts to unauthorized interference with the operation of the meter. If the utilities record this fact, a corresponding report will be drawn up for the owner. But in this case, a fine is not imposed: the payment for the consumed water is recalculated using a coefficient of ten. The amount received is entered into the monthly bills. They do not accept money for such an infringement.
Scheme 3. Dummy inspectors can inform the owner that the meter is faulty. At the same time, they are immediately ready to reinstall it. And inspectors always have the necessary new device at hand. True, the cost of such a meter will not be less than four thousand rubles, or even more. In addition, the owner of the apartment will have to pay three to four thousand rubles for installation. In fact, the simplest water meters cost from 900 rubles. And installation services – from a thousand.
Scheme 4. Another popular method of scammers is an offer to buy a new meter. According to fake masters, it is super cheap, incredibly accurate and, of course, at a lower price than other representatives. Of course, scammers do not carry this meter with them. But you can reserve it by making an advance payment. Criminals take money from a gullible owner and disappear.
But what everyone needs to know
Firstly, a technician can come to the apartment to replace the meter only if the client requests it in writing. The technician does not come without an application. Secondly, only accredited organizations can verify meters. The availability of accreditation for verification of meters of a particular organization can be found on the website of the Russian Accreditation Agency. The dates of verification can be clarified in the public domain on the FSIS “Arshin” website.
