Caught fare evasion

[Lostsoul]

Hello, last week I was caught by tfl when they scan my oyster card and I was found I didn't pay and I was so panicked I tell them I pay with my bank card but he didn't believe me I know I'm wrong here because I forgot to tap in cause I was in hurry my train was coming I rush in train without taping in and he ask for my Id and I didn't have my id so he said they will check in cc camera footage that I tap in or not and they will contact my bank about my details and he said I will be fined 1000£ , do tfl ask bank for my details? Other than that they don't have my any identity, I'm having anxiety can't stop thinking about it since it's my first time , I always used to pay to travel but this time was my bad day very bad experience, what could be possibility? do they just send a Letter and just fine me or more than that or may be court summon, sorry for my bad english..

 

[MikeWh]

Welcome to the forum. Please try not to panic.

Can you clarify in a bit more detail what happened. Where were you travelling from and to, where were you stopped, did you give your name and address?

 

[Lostsoul]

Welcome to the forum. Please try not to panic.

Can you clarify in a bit more detail what happened. Where were you travelling from and to, where were you stopped, did you give your name and address?

Thank you for the reply, I was travelling from plumstead Station where I forgot to tap in because I was in rush, there were no barrier, and I change dlr from Woolwich arsenal Station to Stratford International that's where I was caught , tfl staff were scanning in the exit that's where I realise I forget to tap in since it was too late for me and gave my oyster to scan and I got caught, also I realised instantly I should have given my contactless bank card I told them sorry I tap with my bank card but they thought I was lying or something, and told me to check my bank mobile app for recent transactions and i told him transactions does not show up now it'll only show up tonight and i show him previous transactions and guy just took my oyster and bank card on his hand and told be that you will face penalty and will check cc camera and they will request my bank for my details and gave my cards and just let me go , they didn't ask and write my name and address

 

[Snow1964]

So do you normally pay by contactless bank card or by Oyster

If you showed the ticket inspector your banking app which showed the previous few days you had paid (paid by contactless) then they might have been satisfied that although you initially offered an Oyster card thinking they wanted to check it. You correctly told them you pay by contactless.

With contactless there is only one request to the bank at the end of the day for the total amount used (subject to fare cap), so todays journey won’t show until end of day.

I am guessing they handed the cards back and didn’t take any details because you were able to show a history of paying daily on your banking app.

You might have been lucky, so even if you forgot to tap in that day, it would require checking (either end of day when bank is processed, or via cctv at start station). But if there is evidence you are normally paying (your banking history), then probably decided to not look at it further, and move onto next person.

But they might have taken a photo of your oyster and bank card and will check the card numbers later. Did you see this being done?

 

[Lostsoul]

So do you normally pay by contactless bank card or by Oyster

If you showed the ticket inspector your banking app which showed the previous few days you had paid (paid by contactless) then they might have been satisfied that although you initially offered an Oyster card thinking they wanted to check it. You correctly told them you pay by contactless.

With contactless there is only one request to the bank at the end of the day for the total amount used (subject to fare cap), so todays journey won’t show until end of day.

I am guessing they handed the cards back and didn’t take any details because you were able to show a history of paying daily on your banking app.

You might have been lucky, so even if you forgot to tap in that day, it would require checking (either end of day when bank is processed, or via cctv at start station). But if there is evidence you are normally paying (your banking history), then probably decided to not look at it further, and move onto next person.

But they might have taken a photo of your oyster and bank card and will check the card numbers later. Did you see this being done?

Thanks for the reply , before I used to pay with oyester but nowadays I normally pay with my contactless bank card, I don't think so, I guess my oyster and bank card was in his hand the whole time when we were having conversation so I didn't see him taking photo of my cards he was just threatening me about penalty and prosecution and make me scared..

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Thanks for the reply , before I used to pay with oyester but nowadays I normally pay with my contactless bank card, I don't think so, I guess my oyster and bank card was in his hand the whole time when we were having conversation so I didn't see him taking photo of my cards he was just threatening me about penalty and prosecution and make me scared..

From what you have told us, it looks as if
- TfL didn’t take your details, but
- the inspector warned you of what will happen if you are caught again

If it turns out that TfL did take your details and they want to take things further, then they will write to you. So either they haven’t taken your details and nothing more will happen, or they will write to you. Either way, what it means is that there’s nothing to worry about until (or unless) they write to you.

So for the moment you can relax. If they do write to you, get back in touch and we can probably explain what will happen. Carry on using the trains - and make sure that you do tap in and out every time!

 

[Lostsoul]

From what you have told us, it looks as if
- TfL didn’t take your details, but
- the inspector warned you of what will happen if you are caught again

If it turns out that TfL did take your details and they want to take things further, then they will write to you. So either they haven’t taken your details and nothing more will happen, or they will write to you. Either way, what it means is that there’s nothing to worry about until (or unless) they write to you.

So for the moment you can relax. If they do write to you, get back in touch and we can probably explain what will happen. Carry on using the trains - and make sure that you do tap in and out every time!

Thanks for the reply, I have read lots of confesser story in this forum but never heard that tfl would ask bank for details, normally they ask Id or write in notes for name DOB and address , I don't know if they are only saying to scare me or they are serious about it ..

 

[jumble]

Thanks for the reply, I have read lots of confesser story in this forum but never heard that tfl would ask bank for details, normally they ask Id or write in notes for name DOB and address , I don't know if they are only saying to scare me or they are serious about it ..

I very much hope that your bank would decline to tell TFL anything under GDPR without a court order

 

[skyhigh]

I very much hope that your bank would decline to tell TFL anything under GDPR without a court order

No, but they may be able to see on their end when that card has registered a touch in/out.

 

[Lostsoul]

No, but they may be able to see on their end when that card has registered a touch in/out.

So , either way they gonna get details from bank for further processing..

 

[MikeWh]

So , either way they gonna get details from bank for further processing..

No. The bank will not tell TfL what your details are. The only thing they will do is forward a letter from TfL to you. This is what happened when I lost my card wallet on an Overground train a few years back. TfL contacted one of the card issuers who agreed to forward a letter to me. The letter gave me a case reference and how to contact them to retrieve my stuff.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 May 2022 ==

No, but they may be able to see on their end when that card has registered a touch in/out.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here, but the bank has no details of any touch ins or outs. They only get a daily charge.

 

[skyhigh]

I'm not sure what you're suggesting here, but the bank has no details of any touch ins or outs. They only get a daily charge.

I was meaning TfL may be able to identify times a certain card was used for themselves, without having to request any information from a bank. But I'm not sure on what information is available to them.

 

[jumble]

I was meaning TfL may be able to identify times a certain card was used for themselves, without having to request any information from a bank. But I'm not sure on what information is available to them.

None of this is relevant to the OP's situation in my view
If their address was not taken I think there is close no chance of anyone contacting them
I am leaning towards the view that the inspector may not be all they seem or more likely was wanting to scare the life out of the OP which they have clearly suceeded in doing.
A revenue inspector would likely not be working alone
A revenue inspector would likely have done an identity check
A revenue inspector would take their name and address
A revenue inspector would know that a contactless transaction does not apper until the end of day
A revenue inspector would know that the bank will not disclose the address without a struggle and even if they did there is nothing to say that the card belonged to the OP who might have borrowed it
( This would be against the card holders terms and conditions but a breach of such is not any business of TFL)

 

[Lostsoul]

None of this is relevant to the OP's situation in my view
If their address was not taken I think there is close no chance of anyone contacting them
I am leaning towards the view that the inspector may not be all they seem or more likely was wanting to scare the life out of the OP which they have clearly suceeded in doing.
A revenue inspector would likely not be working alone
A revenue inspector would likely have done an identity check
A revenue inspector would take their name and address
A revenue inspector would know that a contactless transaction does not apper until the end of day
A revenue inspector would know that the bank will not disclose the address without a struggle and even if they did there is nothing to say that the card belonged to the OP who might have borrowed it
( This would be against the card holders terms and conditions but a breach of such is not any business of TFL)

There were 4, 5 tfl staff with plain clothes , they were scanning peoples card in exist in Stratford international, after caughting me he ask for my ID card which I don’t have and he didn’t ask any thing further about my details just said me I will be facing penalty 1000£ and will be asking my bank for my details and just let me go