TfL verification letter following misuse of a found Freedom Pass — advice requested

[Confused123]

Hi everyone,


I would appreciate some guidance about a TfL investigation.


I found a Freedom Pass and used it on several occasions over approximately a week. I recognise that this was wrong and take responsibility for my actions.


I was stopped by a TfL inspector when leaving a London Underground station. No police were involved. The inspector took my details, prepared a report and asked me to sign a statement. The pass was handed to staff during the inspection.


My name was recorded correctly, the address is not my address but it is my property. And they see my staff card and know my company. but some other personal details I gave were inaccurate, including my date of birth and nationality. The nationality is not British. I understand this is an additional issue that needs to be addressed properly.


I have since received a verification letter stating that TfL is considering legal proceedings and asking me to respond within ten days. I have not previously been subject to TfL revenue enforcement action.


I am preparing a response accepting responsibility, apologising, offering to pay the outstanding fares and reasonable costs, and asking whether TfL would consider a formal warning rather than prosecution.


Could anyone advise on:

• Whether I should seek specialist legal advice before submitting my response.
• How best to correct the inaccurate details given during the inspection.
• What genuine supporting evidence might be useful when requesting a warning.
• Whether anyone has experience of comparable Freedom Pass cases, particularly involving repeated use.
• If I don’t reply the TFL letter could it be even worse?

I understand that nobody can guarantee the outcome. I want to handle this honestly and appropriately, and I would appreciate practical advice.

Thank you

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi everyone,


I would appreciate some guidance about a TfL investigation.


I found a Freedom Pass and used it on several occasions over approximately a week. I recognise that this was wrong and take responsibility for my actions.


I was stopped by a TfL inspector when leaving a London Underground station. No police were involved. The inspector took my details, prepared a report and asked me to sign a statement. The pass was handed to staff during the inspection.


My name was recorded correctly, the address is not my address but it is my property. And they see my staff card and know my company. but some other personal details I gave were inaccurate, including my date of birth and nationality. The nationality is not British. I understand this is an additional issue that needs to be addressed properly.


I have since received a verification letter stating that TfL is considering legal proceedings and asking me to respond within ten days. I have not previously been subject to TfL revenue enforcement action.


I am preparing a response accepting responsibility, apologising, offering to pay the outstanding fares and reasonable costs, and asking whether TfL would consider a formal warning rather than prosecution.


Could anyone advise on:

• Whether I should seek specialist legal advice before submitting my response.
• How best to correct the inaccurate details given during the inspection.
• What genuine supporting evidence might be useful when requesting a warning.
• Whether anyone has experience of comparable Freedom Pass cases, particularly involving repeated use.
• If I don’t reply the TFL letter could it be even worse?

I understand that nobody can guarantee the outcome. I want to handle this honestly and appropriately, and I would appreciate practical advice.

Thank you

Welcome.
Worth you reading other TfL freedom
Pass threads. The search function should produce some.

Unfortunately we rarely see warnings issued by TfL without the involvement of a specialist fares evasion solicitor.

I think the general line is that mitigation needs to be in line with TfL s published policy on instances where prosecution is not considered the appropriate way forward.

TfL experts / observers on here may be able to add more to this.

 

[Swedenorer]

TfL rarely, if ever, reach financial settlements to the best of my knowledge. It's either a warning or a trip to court.

TfL's Prosecution Policy is here https://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf

Good luck on finding any mitigation for using a found Freedom Pass.

Legal advice will, on the basis of past threads here, cost in the order of £800 but if you search on here you will find a list of firms.

If you don't engage with them at all I'm pretty certain they'll prosecute you anyway.

 

[Confused123]

Thanks all for reply. I have additional questions.

1. If I admit the offence, could TfL still prosecute me? If they prosecute, could I also face a separate allegation or charge for providing inaccurate personal information during the inspection? If convicted, would this result in a County Court Judgment (CCJ), appear on a DBS check, or have other consequences? How long could those consequences last?
2. If I acknowledge receiving the letter but deny that I was the person stopped by the inspector, how likely is TfL to establish my identity? If they subsequently establish that it was me, what consequences could that denial have?
3. If I do not respond to the letter at all, how likely is TfL to identify me and proceed with prosecution? Could failing to respond itself have any additional consequences?
4. Given the repeated use of the Freedom Pass and the inaccurate personal details provided during the inspection, how realistic is it that TfL would issue a formal warning instead of prosecuting me? If proceedings have already started, could TfL still withdraw them and issue a warning?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Oct 2026 ==

TfL rarely, if ever, reach financial settlements to the best of my knowledge. It's either a warning or a trip to court.

TfL's Prosecution Policy is here https://content.tfl.gov.uk/revenue-enforcement-and-prosecutions-policy.pdf

Good luck on finding any mitigation for using a found Freedom Pass.

Legal advice will, on the basis of past threads here, cost in the order of £800 but if you search on here you will find a list of firms.

If you don't engage with them at all I'm pretty certain they'll prosecute you anyway.

Do you know which legal advice is good and have success rate high

 

[AlterEgo]

If you're asking for advice about lying to TfL about being the person who committed the offence you're in the wrong place for that. You can't say in the opening post you want to handle things "honestly and appropriately" and then muse about how to tell more lies to them on top of ones you already told.

 

[Swedenorer]

If they got a letter to you they've got all they need.

You don'l seem to realise that just being caught once could result in a prosecution where a guilty verdict is pretty well inevitable. The repeated use is another matter.

Stop digging and think.

 

[Haywain]

If I admit the offence, could TfL still prosecute me?

TfL will prosecute, no matter whether you admit anything or not.

If I acknowledge receiving the letter but deny that I was the person stopped by the inspector, how likely is TfL to establish my identity? If they subsequently establish that it was me, what consequences could that denial have?

Don't be silly. We don't advise lying.

If I do not respond to the letter at all, how likely is TfL to identify me and proceed with prosecution?

They will just go ahead and prosecute.

Given the repeated use of the Freedom Pass and the inaccurate personal details provided during the inspection, how realistic is it that TfL would issue a formal warning instead of prosecuting me? If proceedings have already started, could TfL still withdraw them and issue a warning?

Next to no chance of a warning unless you have mitigation in line with TfL's prosecution policy.

 

[Confused123]

TfL will prosecute, no matter whether you admit anything or not.

Don't be silly. We don't advise lying.

They will just go ahead and prosecute.

Next to no chance of a warning unless you have mitigation in line with TfL's prosecution policy.

Thank you for your reply. Could you clarify how TfL could proceed with a prosecution if I do not respond and they have not independently verified my identity? I understand that not replying would not prevent them from using evidence already collected.

 

[Haywain]

Could you clarify how TfL could proceed with a prosecution if I do not respond and they have not independently verified my identity?

Very easy, TfL prosecute and let the court bailiffs find you after you've been convicted, something they are very good at.

 

[Confused123]

Very easy, TfL prosecute and let the court bailiffs find you after you've been convicted, something they are very good at.

Thank you. My main question is about identification. If I do not respond, and TfL has not independently verified that I am the person who was stopped, what evidence would they rely on to prove that I am the defendant? I understand that they can start a prosecution without a response, but how would they establish my identity if some of the personal details recorded at the time were incorrect?

 

[AndroidBango]

Thank you. My main question is about identification. If I do not respond, and TfL has not independently verified that I am the person who was stopped, what evidence would they rely on to prove that I am the defendant? I understand that they can start a prosecution without a response, but how would they establish my identity if some of the personal details recorded at the time were incorrect?

What do you mean by 'independently verified'?

They have your name, the statement of the inspector who stopped you, and have successfully delivered a letter to you informing you that they intend to prosecute you. They have identified you. That they have an incorrect date of birth and nationality is neither here nor there.

If you do not respond, as noted above, you will be convicted in absentia and the fine and costs recovered from you.

 

[Haywain]

Thank you. My main question is about identification. If I do not respond, and TfL has not independently verified that I am the person who was stopped, what evidence would they rely on to prove that I am the defendant? I understand that they can start a prosecution without a response, but how would they establish my identity if some of the personal details recorded at the time were incorrect?

If avoiding prosecution was that easy, TfL wouldn't be bring thousands of cases to court every year. Once a prosecution has started it's up to the defendant to mount a plausible defence. That some details may be incorrect in a trivial way isn't going to do that.

 

[dmncf]

And I assume they have images of you on Body Worn Video and CCTV.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you. My main question is about identification. If I do not respond, and TfL has not independently verified that I am the person who was stopped, what evidence would they rely on to prove that I am the defendant? I understand that they can start a prosecution without a response, but how would they establish my identity if some of the personal details recorded at the time were incorrect?

If you don't engage the TfL 'conveyor belt' just sends the case to court anyway (we know from freedom on info requests that they take more than 10,000 people a year to court for various forms of fare evasion IIRC), the person gets convicted (at which point there is a court record of the conviction which may show up in various sorts of checks that other organisations can run), and a court fine is sent out. Paperwork from the court at the various stages will presumably be sent to the same address where you have received the letter that you have recently had.

If that fine (the punishment from the court for the offence) is ignored the court bailiffs eventually come looking for you (by which time extra cost are added on to the court fine already issued) - and they have a name and address of property that you say is your property - so tracking you from that isn't very difficult for them - and you say you have an employer so they can probably find who that is and obtain an attachment of earnings order to take money owed from your wages without too much difficulty.

Then, or if at any part of this process you want to try to claim it wasn't you that would involve lying to the court - which I believe a court regards as much more serious then they would regard the fare evasion, which int he great scheme of things is a relatively minor offence.

I suspect your realistic options are:

a) try to advance mitigation yourself in an effort to secure a warning - you have nothing really to lose by trying this

Here's a case where someone managed that - tho the detail of what they did to achieve it is a bit limited

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/caught-using-younger-brothers-11-15-zip-card.300887/page-2

b) engage a specialist rail fares solicitor to try and do (a) for you - this might work as we do see cases where this is successfully achieved (tho it may well relate to the circumstances of the individual) - if you contact such solicitors to obtain a quote for that and ask them they should give you a realistic idea about the prospect of success. The downside is the cost of the legal help.
You might want to factor that cost against any possible implications ref your job or future career and earnings potential - which will very much depend on the sort of work you do / hope to do in the future

c) engage with TfL, apologise, accept what you did was wrong and then wait for the court action that would almost inevitably follow and deal with the subsequent fine etc that comes from it and any need to declare the conviction when asked about it.

Others here will know if such TfL convictions appear on things like DBS checks, and for how long, and how long it is before such convictions become 'spent' and would may not have to be declared

Here's an example of a case that went to court an the outcome in case of use to you to look over
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/freedom-pass-misuse-requisition-to-attend-court.297308/page-2

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you. My main question is about identification. If I do not respond, and TfL has not independently verified that I am the person who was stopped, what evidence would they rely on to prove that I am the defendant? I understand that they can start a prosecution without a response, but how would they establish my identity if some of the personal details recorded at the time were incorrect?

They don't. They issue proceedings under the details given, and then bailiffs get sent to deal with you; your criminal record and the post-court actions deal with this. It's obvious who you are given the details they have on you; they aren't entirely fabricated, and, working in the justice system, they are very used to entry level liars and frauds.

You will then have to also pay bailiff fees on top, and risk having your property removed to pay for the fine, as well as TfL's costs, a surcharge, and the evaded fares.

 

[30907]

One little detail which hasn't, I think, been mentioned:

TfL' standard practice over the years is to prosecute for a single offence under their Bylaws, that of ticketless travel (I forget the exact words) - in other words, the entry-level offence.

I don't think we've often (at all?) seen them pursuing multiple offences or laying more serious charges, but am happy to be corrected.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

One little detail which hasn't, I think, been mentioned:

TfL' standard practice over the years is to prosecute for a single offence under their Bylaws, that of ticketless travel (I forget the exact words) - in other words, the entry-level offence.

I don't think we've often (at all?) seen them pursuing multiple offences or laying more serious charges, but am happy to be corrected.

TfL do seek to have other offences taken into consideration.

 

[AlterEgo]

One little detail which hasn't, I think, been mentioned:

TfL' standard practice over the years is to prosecute for a single offence under their Bylaws, that of ticketless travel (I forget the exact words) - in other words, the entry-level offence.

I don't think we've often (at all?) seen them pursuing multiple offences or laying more serious charges, but am happy to be corrected.

TfL regularly ask for multiple offences to be taken into consideration, in fact this is almoat standard for pass misuse. They prosecute for one offence and the defendant has the opportunity to also admit to X other offences so the court can deal with it all at once.