charlotte2026
New Member
Last week, I was stopped by a TfL staff member after using a 60+ Oyster card. As far as I remember, I was stopped when leaving the station. I’m not even sure whether the staff member had actually seen card or contactless I was using. When he asked me about it, I handed him the Oyster card and said that it was my father’s and that I had taken it by mistake.
In reality, the card belongs to a friend and had been with me for the past few months, during which I had been using it. I was in a rush to get to work at the time, so I honestly don’t remember exactly what I said during the conversation.
To be honest, I didn’t realise how serious the consequences of using someone else’s 60+ Oyster card could be. I only knew that travelling without a valid ticket could result in a fine. At the time, I was simply trying to save some money. I earn close to minimum wage in London, work over 40 hours a week, including weekends, and I was exhausted.
Now that this has happened, I have looked into it and realised that it could be much more serious than I initially thought. I’m extremely anxious about the situation.
I’ve read quite a few posts where people received a warning letter or avoided prosecution, but many of those cases seemed to involve circumstances such as mental health issues, being very young, or pregnancy. I don’t feel that I have any similarly compelling circumstances, which makes me even more worried.
I’m now considering instructing a solicitor to deal with this properly. I understand that it will cost money, but after reading so many posts, I honestly don’t feel that I have enough knowledge to deal with this on my own.
Some of the posts on this forum have already been very helpful. If anyone has any advice, particularly from people who have been through a similar situation, I would really appreciate it. I’ll also update this post as things progress. Thank you guys.
In reality, the card belongs to a friend and had been with me for the past few months, during which I had been using it. I was in a rush to get to work at the time, so I honestly don’t remember exactly what I said during the conversation.
To be honest, I didn’t realise how serious the consequences of using someone else’s 60+ Oyster card could be. I only knew that travelling without a valid ticket could result in a fine. At the time, I was simply trying to save some money. I earn close to minimum wage in London, work over 40 hours a week, including weekends, and I was exhausted.
Now that this has happened, I have looked into it and realised that it could be much more serious than I initially thought. I’m extremely anxious about the situation.
I’ve read quite a few posts where people received a warning letter or avoided prosecution, but many of those cases seemed to involve circumstances such as mental health issues, being very young, or pregnancy. I don’t feel that I have any similarly compelling circumstances, which makes me even more worried.
I’m now considering instructing a solicitor to deal with this properly. I understand that it will cost money, but after reading so many posts, I honestly don’t feel that I have enough knowledge to deal with this on my own.
Some of the posts on this forum have already been very helpful. If anyone has any advice, particularly from people who have been through a similar situation, I would really appreciate it. I’ll also update this post as things progress. Thank you guys.
