Caught by Fraud Officer

[whoknows25]

Hi,

To my own absolute shame, I was caught by a Fraud officer yesterday for travelling using a short ticket and not paying the full price. They had a look at my travel history on Trainline and could see there were couple of refunds as well. When asked how many times I have done short ticketing, I really panicked and said around 3 times thinking that was all, even though they asked me to check my history. Checking my history later when I was a bit calmer, it is more 8 times with also 1 refund for delayed journeys that I did travel back for but on a severely delayed train. The 8 times also includes a ticket I refunded but still travelled with - not sure how they would check this and also 2 refund tickets that I brought initially but refunded and got short-tickets instead.
Now thinking back, I feel horrible about it and absolutely regret doing any of it, but it was a desperate attempt to save some money.

The officer said they will now check my travel history and I would receive a letter but didn't say when. They did ask if I could afford the tickets, and I said yes. They asked why I was short ticketing and I told them I was just trying to save a bit of money. They mentioned if I cooperate and am honest with their investigation once I receive the letter, I most probably wont be taken to court. I did tell them that I do not want to go to court and would be more than happy to pay any penalty fine and money owed, which they noted down. They asked if I was caught previously and I mentioned 1 year back, I was caught without a railcard. I did buy a railcard immediately after paying the fine I was issued that day and have not had any issues since.

This has given me a lot of anxiety and I know I am the only one to blame but if it goes to court, it will affect my visa and employment.

What are the chances of the case being settled with a penalty fee and all fare costs owed, outside of court? This was one of the Greater Anglia services train. So, is the case with Greater Anglia or a different body?

I fully intend on only travelling with the full and correct tickets from now on, but this incident has really shook me. Additionally, there is also a ticket that I had requested refund for, but I have not posted the physical tickets for this as this was one of the journeys I got a short-ticket for instead. Is this going to be a problem outside of this issue with Trainline?

Any advice on what and when to expect next steps would be greatly appreciated.

 

[GadgetMan]

When you were caught without a railcard last year, had you bought other tickets with a railcard discount applied that you weren't entitled to before being caught because they are likely to bring those up too and will ask for proof of railcard ownership. Mentioning this as you should be prepared for the fact any other previous wrong doing may come up now you're being investigated.

 

[jfollows]

The chances are high that they will settle out of court, so you should post here in due course when you hear from them in the future, which could be weeks or months.
Your history might influence this, but that’s only guessing.
Any anxiety is down to what you have done, as I’m sure you know.
We can’t advise on visa issues, for a number of reasons.
You should have a receipt saying by whom you are being investigated, but whoever it is can investigate on behalf of other companies anyway. They will likely look at your online purchase history as well.

We’re not trying to be judgmental here, but you should ask yourself why last year’s Penalty Fare wasn’t enough to stop you continuing to offend in the way you have done since.

 

[whoknows25]

The chances are high that they will settle out of court, so you should post here in due course when you hear from them in the future, which could be weeks or months.
Your history might influence this, but that’s only guessing.
Any anxiety is down to what you have done, as I’m sure you know.
We can’t advise on visa issues, for a number of reasons.
You should have a receipt saying by whom you are being investigated, but whoever it is can investigate on behalf of other companies anyway. They will likely look at your online purchase history as well.

We’re not trying to be judgmental here, but you should ask yourself why last year’s Penalty Fare wasn’t enough to stop you continuing to offend in the way you have done since.

Hey, I never got a receipt from them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Nov 2025 ==

When you were caught without a railcard last year, had you bought other tickets with a railcard discount applied that you weren't entitled to before being caught because they are likely to bring those up too and will ask for proof of railcard ownership. Mentioning this as you should be prepared for the fact any other previous wrong doing may come up now you're being investigated.

I honestly dont remember how long my rail card was expired for until I got the penalty. I know it is not an excuse, but it was so long back. Because I already paid the penalty, would they still pursue this?

 

[Spaceship323]

Hey, I never got a receipt from them.

You'll still get a letter from Greater Anglia, please post a redacted copy on here when you receive it.