Endesa uses AI to detect electricity fraud in Barcelona restaurants

Endesa's distribution subsidiary, e-distribución, has identified alleged electricity fraud in 16 restaurants in Barcelona using artificial intelligence. The investigation was triggered by social media content; influencers posted videos showing large, crowded establishments, but technical data showed electricity consumption levels far below what would be expected for such high activity and business size.

Following the AI-generated alerts, physical inspections revealed that the establishments were allegedly making illegal connections to the public lighting network. The AI tools used by e-distribución employ machine learning and deep learning to cross-reference consumption data with the physical dimensions and expected activity of a business to identify anomalies.

According to Endesa, the company detected 72,700 instances of fraud throughout 2025, marking the highest figure in the last five years. The utility noted that social media has become a significant source of information for detecting such discrepancies.