Got off train without being asked for ticket now received fraud email

[Yakko]

We are emailing from the Greater Anglia Fraud department.
We have been investigating industry data and have been notified that the ticket you purchased numbered ****** appears to have been used for multiple journeys when travelling on Greater Anglia services.

Hi I recently received this email with no dates attached alleged offence

I recently boarded a train from gunton intended to pay cash on train but no conductor came for tickets whole journey but upon reaching Norwich I needed a ticket for the exit gates, I had a open return on my greater Anglia app for a great yarmouth to Norwich train leftover which I tried to use which scanner refused but staff let me through but have now received this email is my only option to confess and pay reduced fine?

 

[Watershed]

Do not reply, not even to acknowledge the email or to say you're refusing to answer.

They are hoping you will incriminate yourself; that is why they have written to you. If they had enough evidence to prosecute you or take it further, they wouldn't be contacting you.

Without evidence (i.e. an admission) that you travelled, as opposed to someone else using the ticket you bought, they will be unable to take it any further. If you reply with something, they will at least know you have read their email and the chances of them pestering you further are higher.

Hopefully you now realise the risks of fare dodging are not worth it...

Please feel free to come back in the incredibly unlikely event that you actually receive a court summons (or similar) from them. It's entirely possible you might receive one or two more threatening emails trying to scare you into fessing up, but you have to resist the temptation.

 

[DaveB10780]

Without evidence (i.e. an admission) that you travelled, as opposed to someone else using the ticket you bought, they will be unable to take it any further. If you reply with something, they will at least know you have read their email and the chances of them pestering you further are higher.

Hopefully you now realise the risks of fare dodging are not worth it...

Interesting I see this in quite a few posts, just waiting for having to name the traveller when buying a ticket. In any case here the company is suggesting this ticket has been used twice, it this not a responsibility of the purchaser?

Also it seems like the risks are zero under the current process, why wouldn't it be worth it?

Finally why not pay at the end point rather than use another ticket if that was the original intention.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Without evidence (i.e. an admission) that you travelled, as opposed to someone else using the ticket you bought, they will be unable to take it any further.

The OP has said the ticket was in an app, presumably that they’ve logged into and which has their details attached to it.

Does that impact our standard advice at all?

 

[Starmill]

If this happens again, you must offer to pay at your destination. A member of staff will give you some direction if you don't see anywhere at Norwich to buy your ticket from Gunton. For example they may ask you to wait while they fetch a colleague who has a machine.

 

[Watershed]

Interesting I see this in quite a few posts, just waiting for having to name the traveller when buying a ticket. In any case here the company is suggesting this ticket has been used twice, it this not a responsibility of the purchaser?

There is no crime committed by the purchaser; it is the passenger that is committing the offence. But without evidence of who they are, you can't assume the purchaser is the passenger.

The equivalent situation with car drivers vs registered keepers is why we have things like section 172 notices and 'keeper liability' for parking - otherwise it would be trivial to avoid driving offences and parking charges. But no such law exists for buying train tickets.

Also it seems like the risks are zero under the current process, why wouldn't it be worth it?

Just because the OP is able to get away with it in this instance doesn't guarantee that they will do so again next time.

Finally why not pay at the end point rather than use another ticket if that was the original intention.

Well indeed. I would suggest it was probably an opportunistic attempt at fare evasion, but that is by the by.

The OP has said the ticket was in an app, presumably that they’ve logged into and which has their details attached to it.

Does that impact our standard advice at all?

The fact that the app was logged into a particular phone is unlikely to be information available to GA. In any case it still does not meet the criminal burden of proof that the OP was the one who used this ticket.

 

[6Gman]

If this happens again, you must offer to pay at your destination. A member of staff will give you some direction if you don't see anywhere at Norwich to buy your ticket from Gunton. For example they may ask you to wait while they fetch a colleague who has a machine.

There appears to be a ticket machine at Gunton, so wouldn't an offence have taken place already? *


* I am assuming the ticket required isn't unavailable at a machine.

 

[Yakko]

Do not reply, not even to acknowledge the email or to say you're refusing to answer.

They are hoping you will incriminate yourself; that is why they have written to you. If they had enough evidence to prosecute you or take it further, they wouldn't be contacting you.

Without evidence (i.e. an admission) that you travelled, as opposed to someone else using the ticket you bought, they will be unable to take it any further. If you reply with something, they will at least know you have read their email and the chances of them pestering you further are higher.

Hopefully you now realise the risks of fare dodging are not worth it...

Please feel free to come back in the incredibly unlikely event that you actually receive a court summons (or similar) from them. It's entirely possible you might receive one or two more threatening emails trying to scare you into fessing up, but you have to resist the temptation.

Thank you for the advice, and yes thought I'd chance it when I'd already off the train as wanted to be out of there in a hurry

Do not reply, not even to acknowledge the email or to say you're refusing to answer.

They are hoping you will incriminate yourself; that is why they have written to you. If they had enough evidence to prosecute you or take it further, they wouldn't be contacting you.

Without evidence (i.e. an admission) that you travelled, as opposed to someone else using the ticket you bought, they will be unable to take it any further. If you reply with something, they will at least know you have read their email and the chances of them pestering you further are higher.

Hopefully you now realise the risks of fare dodging are not worth it...

Please feel free to come back in the incredibly unlikely event that you actually receive a court summons (or similar) from them. It's entirely possible you might receive one or two more threatening emails trying to scare you into fessing up, but you have to resist the temptation.

Thankyou for the reply I will leave it a while and see what happens, and yes felt like easiest way at the time and wanted to be home but very not worth it

 

[WesternLancer]

The thing is that chancing it is evading the correct fare. It shouldn’t surprise you that your digital fingerprints attracted the accusation it did.
These tickets have codes on them for a reason. They contain a lot of encrypted information.

The advice above on what to do still stands.

Head back here when or if you hear more before you send a reply.

 

[Watershed]

There appears to be a ticket machine at Gunton, so wouldn't an offence have taken place already? *


* I am assuming the ticket required isn't unavailable at a machine.

The branch lines in that area are all still Paytrains so buying onboard remains officially permitted. Not sure if the ticket machine accepts cash in any case.