Ewii director in open letter to ministers: Fraudsters in the electricity industry get off too easily
Many cases against electricity companies that have defrauded their customers have come to light in recent years. Most recently, on 3 November, the Danish Electricity Authority announced that it had issued injunctions or warnings to four energy trading companies, Modstrøm A/S, b.energy A/S, Dansk Strøm ApS and Edison EL ApS.
The reason for the cases against the companies was that, according to the inspectorate, they had not "complied with the legislation's rules on final settlement in connection with supplier switching."
None of the companies have been charged with theft or fraud, and Lars Bonderup Bjørn, CEO of the EWII Group, is heartbroken.
He believes that "scammers and big fraudsters in the electricity industry get away with reprimands and injunctions," far too often, and therefore calls in an open letter to Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (S) and Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) to intervene.
"Dear Minister of Climate and Minister of Justice. This is happening on your watch, and it is simply not good enough. And it greatly affects the ordinary consumer, who is again and again exposed to unscrupulous companies that risk at most getting a little slap on the wrist. How long will you accept it?," reads, among other things, the letter from Lars Bonderup Bjørn to the two ministers.
The director refers, among other things, to the fact that SKAT sends criminal cases to the police if tax or VAT is intentionally evaded for more than DKK 250,000.
In the cases for which the Danish Energy Regulatory Authority published decisions on November 3, only the amount in the case against Modstrøm is known. Here, the company has withheld DKK 131 million of the customers' money, which, to Lars Bonderup Bjørn's great regret, has only resulted in a reprimand.
Lars Bonderup Bjørn's letter to Peter Hummegaard and Lars Aagaard.
Danish electricity consumers repeatedly end up in the network of dishonest electricity companies because you, who have the ultimate responsibility, do not take the task seriously. The crooked ones can cheat and deceive with virtually no consequences, while the many decent companies are left to deal with a deep crisis of confidence in the industry.
On November 3, 2023, the Danish Electricity Supply Authority announced that they had issued orders or reprimands to four energy trading companies, Modstrøm A/S, b.energy A/S, Dansk Strøm ApS and Edison EL ApS. The reason is that the companies have not "complied with the legislative rules on final settlement in connection with changes of supplier." In essence, the companies have kept the consumers' money - what is called theft in other contexts, and what is known as systematic, intentional deception of the consumer is called fraud.
None of the companies have been charged with theft or fraud. They have received a warning or an injunction!
Jyllands-Posten has reported that Modstrøm A/S has withheld 131 million kroner of customers' money. The amounts for the other companies are not known, but you don't have to guess far before you have to reach the conclusion that other large amounts are involved.
SKAT sends criminal cases to the Police if tax or VAT is intentionally evaded for more than 250,000 kroner. The penalty for fraud is up to 8 years in prison in serious cases. This is not the case in the electricity industry. Here, the Danish Parliament has decided to create a haven for scammers, pickpockets and big-time fraudsters. According to Section 13 of the Danish Electricity Regulatory Authority Act, you can be fined if you fail to comply with an order.
Modstrøm A/S, which withheld 131 million kroner, has only been given a reprimand. A reprimand!
These are not new cases. These are repeated old stories about different companies, and you are doing nothing.
Right now, at least two other misleading numbers are running.
In one, companies call potential customers and tell them that they are the cheapest, referring to the Danish Electricity Regulatory Authority's government-supported website, elpris.dk, where they are highly ranked.
However, the companies make a "hidden" addition to the grid companies' tariffs, which is disclosed on page 109 in an appendix - but which does not have to be disclosed on the Danish Electricity Regulatory Authority's website. It is completely legal, completely hopeless and a result of the fact that in the electricity sector in particular you do not have the same obligation to disclose one overall price as when selling carrots.
In the second misleading number, companies call in a manner inconsistent with the truth and say that they have taken over the billing for another electricity company and simply need the customer's information.
It is of course illegal, but most importantly it is the result of the same morality, the same slag paradise and the same exploitation of society's weakest, because the consequences are vanishingly small.
Dear Climate Minister and Dear Minister of Justice. This is happening on your watch, and it is simply not good enough. And it greatly affects the average consumer, who is repeatedly exposed to unscrupulous companies that risk at most getting a little slap on the wrist. How long will you accept it?
Sincerely
Lars Bonderup Bjørn, CEO of the EWII Group
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