A resident of Ufa found a way to practically eliminate electricity costs for his crypto farm, however, the technical trick became a reason for a criminal case to be initiated.
The man reprogrammed the meter in such a way that it recorded only 4% of the actual consumption volume.
According to the prosecutor's office of Bashkortostan, a 31-year-old local organized a mining farm in a garden house located in the Demsky district. The equipment operated around the clock from July 2024 to February 2025.
To maximize net profits from cryptocurrency mining, the farm owner tampered with the meter's software, reducing its final readings by 96%.
Electricity meters can have their calibration coefficients changed through the service interface or infrared port, making the meter only 'see' a small fraction of actual consumption. You can find offers online for such 'reflashing' — essentially, the multiplier in the calculation formula is altered, and the device is physically intact but counts kilowatts with a specified reduction (in this case — by 96%).
In eight months of operating in this mode, the energy supply company lost over 1.8 million rubles. During the investigation, the fact of illegal interference in the network was revealed, and the materials were forwarded to law enforcement agencies.
The Ufa miner is far from the first to use modified electricity meter devices. The widespread use of such methods indicates a systemic vulnerability that is currently unaddressed.
Currently, a criminal case has been initiated regarding the damage caused, under part 1 of article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which involves liability for causing property damage through deception or abuse of trust. In addition to criminal prosecution, the man will likely have to fully reimburse the unpaid electricity bill.
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