Misuse of railcard email NEW UPDATE SCROLL TO SEE

[saturnkisses]

Hello everyone,

This morning I received the following email from Digital Fraud Team at WMR:

“Dear Customer,

We have recently noticed some activity on your account that has raised concerns regarding potential misuse of your railcard.

Upon review, it appears that your transactions may not be in compliance with the terms and conditions of your railcard.

Please be advised that any form of railcard misuse is a serious matter and may result in further action if not addressed promptly. We encourage you to contact us immediately to resolve the matter.

West Midlands Trains take travel fraud extremely seriously and is committed to prosecuting all cases of fare evasion to the full extent of the law. Travelling on the railway with the intent to avoid paying the full fare is an offence under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. Such an offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000 and/or three months’ imprisonment and, in either case, a criminal record. It must also be considered whether this matter amounts to a much more serious offence under the Fraud Act 2006.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.”

I may or may not have been using a railcard when I don’t own one, but I have not been stopped by an inspector at the station or the train for them to confirm. I always buy my tickets using Trainline, but I don’t have an account with them and they probably got my email from ApplePay. Is there enough evidence to prosecute me? What should I do next? Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[30907]

Hello everyone,

This morning I received the following email from Digital Fraud Team at WMR:

“Dear Customer,

We have recently noticed some activity on your account that has raised concerns regarding potential misuse of your railcard.

Upon review, it appears that your transactions may not be in compliance with the terms and conditions of your railcard.

Please be advised that any form of railcard misuse is a serious matter and may result in further action if not addressed promptly. We encourage you to contact us immediately to resolve the matter.

West Midlands Trains take travel fraud extremely seriously and is committed to prosecuting all cases of fare evasion to the full extent of the law. Travelling on the railway with the intent to avoid paying the full fare is an offence under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. Such an offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000 and/or three months’ imprisonment and, in either case, a criminal record. It must also be considered whether this matter amounts to a much more serious offence under the Fraud Act 2006.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.”

I may or may not have been using a railcard when I don’t own one, but I have not been stopped by an inspector at the station or the train for them to confirm. I always buy my tickets using Trainline, but I don’t have an account with them and they probably got my email from ApplePay. Is there enough evidence to prosecute me? What should I do next? Thank you in advance for any help.

Unless you have been caught in the act, I can't see that WM have evidence to prosecute. They will have achieved most of their aim if you always purchase correct tickets from now on. If you come to their attention in any way they will take the opportunity.

 

[DeverseSam]

I may or may not have been using a railcard when I don’t own one,

The job centre railcard is the one that they are the most suspicious of, so if that applies here, stop doing it!

 

[minderbinder]

I may or may not have been using a railcard when I don’t own one

You presumably know whether or not you have a railcard, and you also presumably know whether or not you have been buying Railcard-discounted tickets. WMT presumably know this too, hence the email you have received.

Is there enough evidence to prosecute me?

Whether there is enough evidence for you to be found guilty is debatable. I'd say it's unlikely. It is not against the law to buy an invalid ticket, it is only against the law to travel without a valid ticket. The onus would be on WMT to prove that you had travelled without a valid ticket. I'm not convinced they could do that based on what you say.

That said, your card has been marked, so if you continue to purchase Railcard-discounted tickets that you are not entitled to, you might find a reception committee waiting for you in the near future.

 

[Haywain]

Is there enough evidence to prosecute me?

Probably not.

What should I do next?

Don't respond to the email. Do start buying tickets that are completely legitimate. Don't use Trainline.

I always buy my tickets using Trainline, but I don’t have an account with them and they probably got my email from ApplePay.

You'll have used guest checkout which still requires an email address.

 

[saturnkisses]

Unless you have been caught in the act, I can't see that WM have evidence to prosecute. They will have achieved most of their aim if you always purchase correct tickets from now on. If you come to their attention in any way they will take the opportunity.

Thanks for the reply. Am I supposed to reply to their email, or just leave it?

 

[Haywain]

Am I supposed to reply to their email, or just leave it?

Can I refer you to my earlier answer?

 

[saturnkisses]

Can I refer you to my earlier answer?

I just checked that out thank you for your advice! Do you believe they will still try to chase it or somehow they have found my address and will harass me?

 

[Titfield]

I just checked that out thank you for your advice! Do you believe they will still try to chase it or somehow they have found my address and will harass me?

Any further action, other than perhaps one chaser email, is unlikely. Their objective is to get you to stop claiming a railcard discount when you do not have a railcard. If one or two emails achieves that objective then job done.

 

[Haywain]

Their objective is to get you to stop claiming a railcard discount when you do not have a railcard.

And if they get some extra money back that's just a bonus!

 

[Southern Beau]

Do WMT really used “Dear Customer”?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Do WMT really used “Dear Customer”?

That sounds unexceptional to me. I don't think it's grounds to think that the email might be phishing.

 

[AlterEgo]

WMT’s back office revenue team are barely proficient in English so the fact that two consecutive words are spelled correctly might be suspicious.

 

[Brent Goose]

In the context of accusing someone of fraud ‘Dear customer’ does seem a bit odd but it may be the OP’s email address is the only bit of information they have?

 

[saismee]

In the context of accusing someone of fraud ‘Dear customer’ does seem a bit odd but it may be the OP’s email address is the only bit of information they have?

Not a complete accusation as they say "potential misuse" which shows that they are uncertain. It may very well be that the person is a customer paying their correct fare and received the email by mistake - calling them something other than a customer would not be a good idea in that case.

 

[skyhigh]

calling them something other than a customer would not be a good idea in that case.

I think the point being made is it's usual to begin with "Dear Mr/Mrs X" not something impersonal such as "Dear customer".

Nobody is suggesting they think the emails should begin with "Dear fare evader"!

 

[vxk1213]

Hi SaturnKisses, it may be worth responding to the email they sent to you, I believe you purchased your ticket off trainline too,

I also did and made a thread about it. However the team emailed me back detailing out any case of misuse dating back 5 years, so trainline do give the full details of a user, I am definitely not using trainline anymore but also it may be worth just sorting the matter out, but that’s just my take.

 

[Haywain]

I think the point being made is it's usual to begin with "Dear Mr/Mrs X" not something impersonal such as "Dear customer".

That assumes they know the name of the customer.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi SaturnKisses, it may be worth responding to the email they sent to you

....No!

They have no evidence of any wrongdoing, just some data that a customer bought some tickets. (For whom? Why? Who travelled?)

 

[WesternLancer]

....No!

They have no evidence of any wrongdoing, just some data that a customer bought some tickets. (For whom? Why? Who travelled?)

I think this advice to some extent depends on what advice the op wants in respect of what they actually wish to do.

Ie do they want advice on how best to cooperate with the railway, or to do the right thing. Or does the op want advice on how to ‘get away with’ the deliberate evasion they have carried out in the past.

They probably need advice on both options and the consequences of each so they can decide what to do and how.

 

[AlterEgo]

I think this advice to some extent depends on what advice the op wants in respect of what they actually wish to do.

Ie do they want advice on how best to cooperate with the railway, or to do the right thing. Or does the op want advice on how to ‘get away with’ the deliberate evasion they have carried out in the past.

The OP is asking specifically if there is enough evidence to prosecute them.

There is not.

It is quite likely WMT don't even know the name of the OP, or who they are.

 

[Hadders]

The important thing to remember here is that purchasing tickets is not an offence but using them illegally is. To summarise, you've basically got two options here:

1. Co-operate with them, WMT will offer you an out of court settlement which will be the cost of the invalid tickets purchased plus an admin fee, typicaly around £175. Pay and that will be the end of the matter.

2. Do nothing. Purchasing tickets is not illegal, using them. It is highly unlikely that WMT has any evidence that you used the tickets, although we cannot be 100% certain of that. If you take this course of action you will continue to receive threatening letters from WMT threatening police involvement and prosecution for fraud for the forseeable future.

If you decide to go with option 2 then do not engage at all with WMT. Don't even acknowledge the emails from them.

 

[saturnkisses]

Hello again friends! I don’t know if you remember me, I posted about an email a week or so ago. Well today they have sent me a new email asking me to pay. I am a uni student, and not in a million years will I be able to pay the money they’re asking for, I would have to live on the street and eat water for my meals. I have copy pasted it below, any comments are appreciated and thank you in advance.

“
Dear Customer,



We refer to our previously letter dated 4th of April 2025, to which we have not received a response.



Following further investigation, we have identified xxx instances of railcard misuse linked to your account. As a result, the total outstanding amount, inclusive of administrative fees, is xxx



Due to your failure to respond, the sum is now due in full within 7 days from the date of this letter. If payment is not received within this timeframe, we will have no alternative but to escalate this matter to our prosecutions team for legal action, which may result in additional costs and penalties being incurred.



To avoid further consequences, we urge you to make immediate payment or contact us to discuss this matter. Payment details are provided below for your convenience.

Email us with confirmation of payment being made and once payment has been received, we will send a receipt and close the case down this can take up to 10 business days.

Information we must inform you of; if we have not received an email for payment a gentle reminder may be sent and if a late payment is made you could incur further fees and if no payment is made then the case will be escalated to our prosecutions team.



If you believe this matter has been raised in error or require further clarification, please contact us immediately at Digitalfraudteam@wmtrains.co.uk



We strongly advise you to take this notice seriously and act to resolve this issue.”

Again they didn’t use my name or anything, how would they know if, hypothetically speaking, I personally used the tickets and not someone else?

 

[Egg Centric]

I suggest removing the amount and number of times from that post immediately - or alternatively obfuscating it. It's enough to tie you to this thread.

Assuming that you have not been in touch with them and haven't been stopped, my advice is to continue to ignore and under no circumstances engage.

 

[saturnkisses]

I suggest removing the amount and number of times from that post immediately - or alternatively obfuscating it. It's enough to tie you to this thread.

Assuming that you have not been in touch with them and haven't been stopped, my advice is to continue to ignore and under no circumstances engage.

Thank you so much I just done that xx. Do you believe there is any way for them to find more details about me like address or anything else that can be used to create a court order?

 

[Egg Centric]

Thank you so much I just done that xx. Do you believe there is any way for them to find more details about me like address or anything else that can be used to create a court order?

I'm sure they could find an address if they really wanted to, but I doubt they will. They could probably even prove the offence if they sent a crack team of private investigators on it. But in practice the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you so much I just done that xx. Do you believe there is any way for them to find more details about me like address or anything else that can be used to create a court order?

They have not got a clue who you are or whether you personally have used the tickets.

Pay the proper fare going forward and do not comment on the allegations. Don’t respond to their email. Next you might get an even more desperate one, but I recommend ignoring that too.

 

[Hadders]

What I posted upthread in post #22 still applies. There will be further emails of you choose not to engage. WMT will almost certainly be able to trace your address.

 

[Egg Centric]

To be totally clear @saturnkisses all our advice of ignoring is on the understanding that you have never been stopped by WMR or anyone else for ticketing anomalies. If this is not the case - and I don't think you've made it explicit - then the advice may change markedly.

 

[saturnkisses]

To be totally clear @saturnkisses all our advice of ignoring is on the understanding that you have never been stopped by WMR or anyone else for ticketing anomalies. If this is not the case - and I don't think you've made it explicit - then the advice may change markedly.

I have never been stopped by anyone on the train or at any stations, I just received this email randomly one day. Are you saying if for example they had caught me for any other ticketing issue apart from the railcard they could still find me? My flatmate did receive a fine for not having a ticket like a year or so ago, do you think they’ll be able to find me from the joint address?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Apr 2025 ==

What I posted upthread in post #22 still applies. There will be further emails of you choose not to engage. WMT will almost certainly be able to trace your address.

Hello, what makes you say they will be able to track my address? I used Apple Pay and didn’t make an account with them.