Meter tampering is when you open your meter box and bypass the meter or pull the meter and then prevent it from registering any use of power.
Anything that alters the meter and prevents it from registering the amount of electricity you use is considered meter tampering.
External wiring modifications include swapping phase and neutral wires; disconnecting the neutral wire altogether; providing a return path via ground rather than neutral; and disconnecting one of the phase wires from the meter.
In some places meter tampering is a crime especially if you steal electricity although it's rare to get caught if you have been turned off for non payment and then bypass the meter socket.
However not everywhere makes meter tampering a crime and for the majority of places just tampering with your meter or meter box will not result in any crime being committed or any charges being committed.
I remember about 10 years ago I was unable to pay for my electric bill which was sky high and I needed my electricity so a few days after my electric got shut off I had the idea to open the meter box by cutting the seal and then placing 2 jumper wires between the lugs of the meter socket.
I owned the meter socket but the utility owned the meter.
I then continued paying back the electric bill until I got the account caught up within a year.
Then I removed the jumper wires and called the utility to come turn it back on after paying.
The utility never said anything to me about the seal being cut and just turned the power back on.
My neighbor is actually doing the same thing right now.
He had his electricity cut off last month due to non payment and a $600.00 electric bill owed so right after the electric utility guy left town he opened the meter box and ran a few jumper wires to get his electricity back on.
I won't say anything as he needs his electricity.
Although in some larger cities the utility sometimes goes around and sends people to look for electricity theft and meter tampering.
But in a smaller town or subdivision it's unlikely they would ever find out about the meter tampering or electricity theft.