Greater Anglia fare fraud?

[GAcommuter]

Afternoon

I received a letter from Greater Anglia (text in italics below) stating that I've not been paying full fares on Greater Anglia.

Having contacted Greater Anglia, I believe it's legitimate and I'm very concerned as I always pay my fare in full.

Having thought more about it, I'm now wondering if they have picked up on the following circumstances which have happened several times - my station doesn't have any barriers so one can just get on the train. On occasion I have realised either on the train or once I've got off the other end, that I have forgotten to pay for my ticket. On realising, I have paid for a return asap (as I come back from London the same day) selecting a later train leaving my station than the one I am on - however, this takes me through to the generic ticket option that is valid on X trains. Importantly, there are a couple of trains that are more expensive because they've fewer stops - I am never on these trains and make sure that I travel on those that go via a particular station (as required by my slightly cheaper ticket).

A bit wordy, apologies but the long and short is that - yes, there have been a few occasions where I'm travelling/have travelled technically without a ticket (due to honest forgetfulness) but I always buy it before going through the barriers at London Liverpool (as I otherwise wouldn't be able to leave).

Is this what the letter is referring to? And am I culpable for fare evasion/fraud, given I have paid in full for every journey I've ever taken?

Am getting rather worried so would be good to hear people's thoughts, thanks for your time.


Re: Trainline Account

We have been investigating industry data and have been led to believe you are potentially not paying full fares on Greater Anglia services.

This activity has been highlighted as potentially fraudulent.

We view this as a serious issue, and we have taken this step to contact you, with an outlook to resolve this matter with you efficiently.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Afternoon

I received a letter from Greater Anglia (text in italics below) stating that I've not been paying full fares on Greater Anglia.

Having contacted Greater Anglia, I believe it's legitimate and I'm very concerned as I always pay my fare in full.

Having thought more about it, I'm now wondering if they have picked up on the following circumstances which have happened several times - my station doesn't have any barriers so one can just get on the train. On occasion I have realised either on the train or once I've got off the other end, that I have forgotten to pay for my ticket. On realising, I have paid for a return asap (as I come back from London the same day) selecting a later train leaving my station than the one I am on - however, this takes me through to the generic ticket option that is valid on X trains. Importantly, there are a couple of trains that are more expensive because they've fewer stops - I am never on these trains and make sure that I travel on those that go via a particular station (as required by my slightly cheaper ticket).

A bit wordy, apologies but the long and short is that - yes, there have been a few occasions where I'm travelling/have travelled technically without a ticket (due to honest forgetfulness) but I always buy it before going through the barriers at London Liverpool (as I otherwise wouldn't be able to leave).

Is this what the letter is referring to? And am I culpable for fare evasion/fraud, given I have paid in full for every journey I've ever taken?

Am getting rather worried so would be good to hear people's thoughts, thanks for your time.


Re: Trainline Account

We have been investigating industry data and have been led to believe you are potentially not paying full fares on Greater Anglia services.

This activity has been highlighted as potentially fraudulent.

We view this as a serious issue, and we have taken this step to contact you, with an outlook to resolve this matter with you efficiently.

Welcome to the forum!

As a first question, is there anything more to the email that Greater Anglia sent you than you have shown? How, for example, do they want to 'resolve this matter (...) efficiently'?

 

[GAcommuter]

Welcome to the forum!

As a first question, is there anything more to the email that Greater Anglia sent you than you have shown? How, for example, do they want to 'resolve this matter (...) efficiently'?

Hi, thanks so much for replying - no, apart from asking that I reply citing a case reference number which I left out, that is the full letter. I thought it was a scam as it has no detail or evidence regarding the fraudulent activity, nor is it addressed specifically to me. I called GA but they confirmed the email address was legitimate.

I've emailed back to confirm receipt and ask that they provide evidence but in the meantime, wanted to check whether my paying late (albeit paying in full) is what they're referring to.

 

[AlterEgo]

Have they stopped you while travelling?

If not, do not comment on their correspondence and do not acknowledge it in any way.

It is a legal requirement to have a valid ticket before you board and you commit a crime under the Railway Bylaws if you don't (and the station you boarded at has a ticket office or machine).

In future, buy your ticket before boarding, every time. And don't reply to their correspondence. They cannot practicably mount a prosecution based on "well I reckon" from a trawl of Trainline data.

 

[GAcommuter]

Have they stopped you while travelling?

If not, do not comment on their correspondence and do not acknowledge it in any way.

It is a legal requirement to have a valid ticket before you board and you commit a crime under the Railway Bylaws if you don't (and the station you boarded at has a ticket office or machine).

In future, buy your ticket before boarding, every time. And don't reply to their correspondence. They cannot practicably mount a prosecution based on "well I reckon" from a trawl of Trainline data.

Thanks for your advice, much appreciated - and no, I've never been stopped as I've always rectified my mistake before leaving through the barriers at London. I absolutely accept that, had a ticket inspector asked me for a ticket and I'd not been able to produce one, I would have to pay a penalty but it's really surprised me that they've possibly been able to monitor when I pay for something against when I leave the destination station to know I've technically travelled without a ticket - despite me ultimately correcting that mistake?

 

[jfollows]

As @AlterEgo says, have nothing to do with this.

They’re analysing patterns of ticket purchases and coming to conclusions, and trying to get you to incriminate yourself, essentially.

If they had stopped you without a valid ticket, that would be different, because they would threaten you with prosecution.

Without this, they’re fishing. Just remember you’re now on their radar.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

it's really surprised me that they've possibly been able to monitor when I pay for something against when I leave the destination station to know I've technically travelled without a ticket - despite me ultimately correcting that mistake?

It's probably quite straightforward. The ticket seller will tell them when the ticket was purchased and the barriers will tell them when the ticket left the system. Compare the two and you can deduce that the train woild have to have been boarded without a valid icket.

Trainline and other retailers may be convenient, but you are being watched.

Is there ever a facility to buy a ticket on the train from a guard or conductor?

 

[Haywain]

despite me ultimately correcting that mistake?

The mistake is boarding a train without first buying a ticket, and nothing you do can correct that mistake. As for the email you have received, there is something in your ticket buying history that raises suspicions, and it seems that GA are not entirely wrong in being suspicious. So, you should regard this email as a warning shot and make sure you don't do anything from now on that could result in further action being taken.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree that Greater Anglia are on a fishing expedition. A couple of futher points to what has already been posted:

Other than the ticket being purchased after the departure, are the tickets you purchased valid for the train you travelled on? Exactly what type of ticket did you buy? Advance tickets are only valid on the specified train so buying a ticket for a later train would mean you didn't have a valid ticket. Off Peak tickets are valid on any train subject to time restrictions. Were the tickets discounted with a railcard, and if so, was this valid at the time you travelled (eg a 16-25 and 26-30 railcards are subject to a £12 minimum discounted fare before 10am on weekdays if using an Anytime or Off Peak ticket)

Purchasing an invalid ticket is not but using them is. To be able to secure a conviction Greater Anglia would need to be able to prove to a court that you used these tickets. It's highly unlikely that they will be able to do that unless they caught you in the act. They can piece together purchase and ticket scan data but that alone is unlikely to be able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it was you who made the journey. What you don't know if whether Greater Anglia has any other evidence showing that you made those journeys (eg CCTV although this would be very unoikely in my view as it's only routinely kept for 31 days)

If you do engage with Greater Anglia then they would offer you an out of court settlement costing the value of the fares on the days where you travelled with an invalid ticket. In addition they would want you to pay an admin fee. Once settled that would be the end of the matter.

If you ignore the email then they will likely send further letters and emails threatening all sorts of consequences from police involvement to prosecution under the Fraud Act. It's highly unlikely that they would do any of this abd, if they did, they would be unlikely to secure a conviction unless you incriminated yourself.

It really all depends on your appetite for risk.

 

[GAcommuter]

It's probably quite straightforward. The ticket seller will tell them when the ticket was purchased and the barriers will tell them when the ticket left the system. Compare the two and you can deduce that the train woild have to have been boarded without a valid icket.

Trainline and other retailers may be convenient, but you are being watched.

Is there ever a facility to buy a ticket on the train from a guard or conductor

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2025 ==

Hi, thanks for your reply - I've never seen a conductor on the train I take in, no

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2025 ==

Welcome to the forum!

I agree that Greater Anglia are on a fishing expedition. A couple of futher points to what has already been posted:

Other than the ticket being purchased after the departure, are the tickets you purchased valid for the train you travelled on? Exactly what type of ticket did you buy? Advance tickets are only valid on the specified train so buying a ticket for a later train would mean you didn't have a valid ticket. Off Peak tickets are valid on any train subject to time restrictions. Were the tickets discounted with a railcard, and if so, was this valid at the time you travelled (eg a 16-25 and 26-30 railcards are subject to a £12 minimum discounted fare before 10am on weekdays if using an Anytime or Off Peak ticket)

Purchasing an invalid ticket is not but using them is. To be able to secure a conviction Greater Anglia would need to be able to prove to a court that you used these tickets. It's highly unlikely that they will be able to do that unless they caught you in the act. They can piece together purchase and ticket scan data but that alone is unlikely to be able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it was you who made the journey. What you don't know if whether Greater Anglia has any other evidence showing that you made those journeys (eg CCTV although this would be very unoikely in my view as it's only routinely kept for 31 days)

If you do engage with Greater Anglia then they would offer you an out of court settlement costing the value of the fares on the days where you travelled with an invalid ticket. In addition they would want you to pay an admin fee. Once settled that would be the end of the matter.

If you ignore the email then they will likely send further letters and emails threatening all sorts of consequences from police involvement to prosecution under the Fraud Act. It's highly unlikely that they would do any of this abd, if they did, they would be unlikely to secure a conviction unless you incriminated yourself.

It really all depends on your appetite for risk.

Hi, thanks so much for such an informative response, much appreciated. I buy an anytime day return, the only restriction being that the train must go via Shenfield (presumably as it's a split ticket and therefore a bit cheaper). The ticket is therefore valid for the train - I do buy with a 26-30 Railcard but I'm travelling well before 10am so that shouldn't be an issue, judging from your message.

What I'm struggling to grasp is, although I'm technically in the wrong, I have paid every fare in full - so what would I owe them? I understand that I would be liable for a penalty if a conductor asked for a ticket and I couldn't produce one but I've never been challenged on this and have been able to rectify my error before completing my journey i.e. going through the barriers at London (although the few times this has happened, I've mainly remembered to do so within 15 minutes or so of being on the train).

 

[Hadders]

I do buy with a 26-30 Railcard but I'm travelling well before 10am so that shouldn't be an issue, judging from your message.

Was the discounted fare greater than £12.

What I'm struggling to grasp is, although I'm technically in the wrong, I have paid every fare in full - so what would I owe them? I understand that I would be liable for a penalty if a conductor asked for a ticket and I couldn't produce one but I've never been challenged on this and have been able to rectify my error before completing my journey i.e. going through the barriers at London (although the few times this has happened, I've mainly remembered to do so within 15 minutes or so of being on the train).

When calculating an out of court settlement Greater Anglia normally charge the full Anytime fare with no credit given for the invalid tickets purchased.

Technically you are in breach on Railway Byelaw 18.1

18. Ticketless travel in non-compulsory ticket areas​

1. in any area not designated as a compulsory ticket area, no person shall enter any train for the purpose of travelling on the railway unless he has with him a valid ticket entitling him to travel

As mentioned above, it is for Greater Anglia to prove that this happened and without an admission from you they will almost certainly struggle to do this to the satisfaction of a court.

Also worth noting that if they do wish to prosecute you they must lay papers before the court within six months of the date of the offence, so how long ago these incidents took oplace is also worth considering.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I buy an anytime day return, the only restriction being that the train must go via Shenfield (presumably as it's a split ticket and therefore a bit cheaper).

I would think all trains go via Shenfield, The restriction is more likely that the train must stop at Shenfield.

The key point is likely to be that the boarding station has a ticket machine and perhaps a staffed booking office. Therefore you are expected to buy tickets before boarding a train.

 

[30907]

The OP has clarified in post #10 that they use split tickets. I can't imagine that in itself that would flag up as suspicious, but I have a hunch that something in the purchase process has flagged up, possibly the time of purchase vs scan at LST.

However, that is academic, as the OP need not respond (only make absolutely sure that they don't offend again).

 

[Titfield]

The OP has clarified in post #10 that they use split tickets. I can't imagine that in itself that would flag up as suspicious, but I have a hunch that something in the purchase process has flagged up, possibly the time of purchase vs scan at LST.

However, that is academic, as the OP need not respond (only make absolutely sure that they don't offend again).

GA may be (1) checking that there are always two tickets in the split (ie not short faring) (b) analysing the time between the two tickets (if a split ticket) are purchased. If there is a significant time gap they may be wondering why.

 

[jumble]

Welcome to the forum!

I agree that Greater Anglia are on a fishing expedition. A couple of futher points to what has already been posted:

Other than the ticket being purchased after the departure, are the tickets you purchased valid for the train you travelled on? Exactly what type of ticket did you buy? Advance tickets are only valid on the specified train so buying a ticket for a later train would mean you didn't have a valid ticket. Off Peak tickets are valid on any train subject to time restrictions. Were the tickets discounted with a railcard, and if so, was this valid at the time you travelled (eg a 16-25 and 26-30 railcards are subject to a £12 minimum discounted fare before 10am on weekdays if using an Anytime or Off Peak ticket)

Purchasing an invalid ticket is not but using them is. To be able to secure a conviction Greater Anglia would need to be able to prove to a court that you used these tickets. It's highly unlikely that they will be able to do that unless they caught you in the act. They can piece together purchase and ticket scan data but that alone is unlikely to be able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it was you who made the journey. What you don't know if whether Greater Anglia has any other evidence showing that you made those journeys (eg CCTV although this would be very unoikely in my view as it's only routinely kept for 31 days)

If you do engage with Greater Anglia then they would offer you an out of court settlement costing the value of the fares on the days where you travelled with an invalid ticket. In addition they would want you to pay an admin fee. Once settled that would be the end of the matter.

If you ignore the email then they will likely send further letters and emails threatening all sorts of consequences from police involvement to prosecution under the Fraud Act. It's highly unlikely that they would do any of this abd, if they did, they would be unlikely to secure a conviction unless you incriminated yourself.

It really all depends on your appetite for risk.

To be fair GA's intention might be simply issuing a Gipsys Warning
There may be many scoundrels who are misbehaving but GA dont have enough proof but such people will going forward know that they are on the radar.

 

[bluesky60]

I had the same email, GA pulled data of the journeys where I had purchased the ticket just before scanning at the barrier. They have given me the option to explain myself. Have you had a response from GA yet? And are you going to own up for the honest mistake?

 

[Cuthbert]

I had the same email, GA pulled data of the journeys where I had purchased the ticket just before scanning at the barrier. They have given me the option to explain myself. Have you had a response from GA yet? And are you going to own up for the honest mistake?

It is best you make your own post as every situation is different.
Guidelines for the forum is HERE

It makes it less messy with communications for each case.

 

[GAcommuter]

Afternoon

I received a letter from Greater Anglia (text in italics below) stating that I've not been paying full fares on Greater Anglia.

Having contacted Greater Anglia, I believe it's legitimate and I'm very concerned as I always pay my fare in full.

Having thought more about it, I'm now wondering if they have picked up on the following circumstances which have happened several times - my station doesn't have any barriers so one can just get on the train. On occasion I have realised either on the train or once I've got off the other end, that I have forgotten to pay for my ticket. On realising, I have paid for a return asap (as I come back from London the same day) selecting a later train leaving my station than the one I am on - however, this takes me through to the generic ticket option that is valid on X trains. Importantly, there are a couple of trains that are more expensive because they've fewer stops - I am never on these trains and make sure that I travel on those that go via a particular station (as required by my slightly cheaper ticket).

A bit wordy, apologies but the long and short is that - yes, there have been a few occasions where I'm travelling/have travelled technically without a ticket (due to honest forgetfulness) but I always buy it before going through the barriers at London Liverpool (as I otherwise wouldn't be able to leave).

Is this what the letter is referring to? And am I culpable for fare evasion/fraud, given I have paid in full for every journey I've ever taken?

Am getting rather worried so would be good to hear people's thoughts, thanks for your time.


Re: Trainline Account

We have been investigating industry data and have been led to believe you are potentially not paying full fares on Greater Anglia services.

This activity has been highlighted as potentially fraudulent.

We view this as a serious issue, and we have taken this step to contact you, with an outlook to resolve this matter with you efficiently.

Hello all

I've since had a response as follows in italics below:

This getting complicated for the following reasons:
1. I used to travel from Manningtree but now live near Kelvedon. I don't understand why they think I'm fraudulently travelling from Manningtree - I just don't live there anymore?

2. I have always owned a valid Railcard for my travel and can't understand how they don't have records for this? I'm 30 now so it looks like they want records from when I was 26. This is such a sweeping request.

3. However, I am concerned about engaging in the above - I can prove point 2 but not sure about point 1 (station CCTV? The deeds to my new house showing I don't live near Manningtree? What exactly do they want from me?). Also it is correct that on a very limited number of occasions I haven't got tickets on the train/at the barrier in London (genuinely can't remember as I didn't make a habit of it but didn't realise it was an offence but would say perhaps on four occasions). I'm concerned that in proving my innocence on these two rather bizarre and unfounded points I will incriminate myself for something that I don't think is fundamentally wrong (although I appreciate is is technically).

4. The overall point is I have paid every fare in full - my concern however is what money they think they're entitled to and what admin fees they'll claim as part of settlement.

I want to do the right thing and engage but the breadth of accusations, the onus on me to prove my innocence and the uncapped nature of what they think they are entitled to is really concerning me.

Apologies again for length of message, any thoughts would be greatly welcomed.


To aid our investigation, data has highlighted multiple tickets between London Liverpool Street and Kelvedon, either being purchased on board the trains or on arrival at destination. These tickets have been scanned on the barriers just after purchase in order to exit the station. These tickets are not valid. This was flagged as possible fraudulent travel.

Data shows your full journeys between London Liverpool Street and Manningtree, therefore we are led to believe that you may not be paying the fare for your full journeys on few occasions, which suggests the fare has been avoided between Kelvedon and Manningtree.

Could you explain your full journeys please?

In addition, we hold no records on our database of your 26-30 Railcard. Could you provide evidence of your entitlement from September 2021 to present, to confirm your date of birth, please?

This could either be an email confirmation or from your railcard account.

Based on your response the decision will be to either (a) offer you the opportunity to repay any funds relating to these journeys, administration fees are added to any settlement; (b) pass your file to our prosecuting services or the British Transport Police for further action to be taken; or (c) to close the case and cease any further investigations into your transactions.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello all

I've since had a response as follows in italics below:

This getting complicated for the following reasons:
1. I used to travel from Manningtree but now live near Kelvedon. I don't understand why they think I'm fraudulently travelling from Manningtree - I just don't live there anymore?

2. I have always owned a valid Railcard for my travel and can't understand how they don't have records for this? I'm 30 now so it looks like they want records from when I was 26. This is such a sweeping request.

3. However, I am concerned about engaging in the above - I can prove point 2 but not sure about point 1 (station CCTV? The deeds to my new house showing I don't live near Manningtree? What exactly do they want from me?). Also it is correct that on a very limited number of occasions I haven't got tickets on the train/at the barrier in London (genuinely can't remember as I didn't make a habit of it but didn't realise it was an offence but would say perhaps on four occasions). I'm concerned that in proving my innocence on these two rather bizarre and unfounded points I will incriminate myself for something that I don't think is fundamentally wrong (although I appreciate is is technically).

4. The overall point is I have paid every fare in full - my concern however is what money they think they're entitled to and what admin fees they'll claim as part of settlement.

I want to do the right thing and engage but the breadth of accusations, the onus on me to prove my innocence and the uncapped nature of what they think they are entitled to is really concerning me.

Apologies again for length of message, any thoughts would be greatly welcomed.


To aid our investigation, data has highlighted multiple tickets between London Liverpool Street and Kelvedon, either being purchased on board the trains or on arrival at destination. These tickets have been scanned on the barriers just after purchase in order to exit the station. These tickets are not valid. This was flagged as possible fraudulent travel.

Data shows your full journeys between London Liverpool Street and Manningtree, therefore we are led to believe that you may not be paying the fare for your full journeys on few occasions, which suggests the fare has been avoided between Kelvedon and Manningtree.

Could you explain your full journeys please?

In addition, we hold no records on our database of your 26-30 Railcard. Could you provide evidence of your entitlement from September 2021 to present, to confirm your date of birth, please?

This could either be an email confirmation or from your railcard account.

Based on your response the decision will be to either (a) offer you the opportunity to repay any funds relating to these journeys, administration fees are added to any settlement; (b) pass your file to our prosecuting services or the British Transport Police for further action to be taken; or (c) to close the case and cease any further investigations into your transactions.

As you can demonstrate that you did have a railcard and you have moved house, I would suggest that you do so.

From where I am, I don't really blame the railway for not taking your change of address into account: it's not something that happens all that often to most people so in fairness you probably need to point out that it happened - ideally with some evidence to prove it. For the moment, I wouldn't worry about giving greatly detailed evidence - that can wait until / unless the railway don't believe you.

 

[AlterEgo]

OP, when you say "response", what did you send to them, if anything? You should not engage; it is not in your interests to do so.

 

[styles]

Could you explain your full journeys please?

Not convinced I'd reply to this email, as you would basically have to admit that you've been buying tickets after boarding, which is a bylaws offence.

I know you were trying to do the right thing by buying a ticket regardless, but in future you do need to make sure to buy one before travelling, and if that means waiting 10 minutes for the next train, so be it.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I want to do the right thing and engage but the breadth of accusations, the onus on me to prove my innocence and the uncapped nature of what they think they are entitled to is really concerning me.

The onus is not on you to prove anything. The onus is on them to prove their allegations.

My advice with these fishing trips is always the same: DO NOT ENGAGE. There is nothing to be gained by engaging in a fishing expedition. As you have now seen, anything you do say will be used against you.

However, since you have now taken the bait, things may be different. What did you say in reply to Greater Anglia?

 

[Harratt4]

Wonder what would happen if you replied saying that you'd be happy to provide the information they have requested on receipt of, say, £150 administration fee to cover the costs of your investigations?

 

[spotify95]

This is exactly what the TOCs do to customers in these situations, who haven't paid the full fare. It seems like Greater Anglia are just on a fishing exercise.

Wonder what would happen if you replied saying that you'd be happy to provide the information they have requested on receipt of, say, £150 administration fee to cover the costs of your investigations?

Personally I would be putting all of these "fishing exercise" emails straight into the recycle bin and then start purchasing tickets from ticket machines. As long as the OP is now purchasing their tickets before they board, and have a valid 26-30 railcard (which it seems like they do have) then I don't see any problems.

This also brings into question whether anytime tickets are in fact anytime - there was a whole separate discussion on this somewhere.

If I was to send any correspondence to Greater Anglia (not that this would be my first choice) then:

1. I would state where I live now (nearest town, not full address!) and roughly when I moved, which would clear up what GA thinks is short fairing;
2. I would provide my current, in date and valid railcard (not railcards from 4 years ago - besides, a lot of people don't even keep really old tickets or railcards). If completely necessary, add name and D.O.B. to prove validity
3. I would not be fully explaining any journeys and would also not be offering any out of court settlement, or similar. If GA then asked for such a settlement then further advice would be applicable.

It all just seems like GA wants the OP to incriminate themselves and give GA enough evidence for a Byelaws prosecution.

 

[AlterEgo]

If the OP has replied to the email then this is really unwise. You have the right not to reply - use it. Once you start a dialogue, your position becomes weaker and weaker and you will be forced to answer everything as pressure increases and your plausible deniability evaporates.


"Hey we think you dodged some fares, we didn't catch you but your purchase history seems unusual"
- blank -
"Er hello? Our last email? We are waiting for a response please"
- blank -
"This is your last chance or we will scream and shout and stamp our feet"
- blank -

What do you think happens to cases where there's literally no reply? Half of them probably end up in spam, half of the remainder probably get deleted manually by recipients.

They close them down. There's no evidence. That's why they are trying to talk to you in the first place. Look, if I go ahead and do a nice fat fraud, the first I will probably hear about it is getting arrested at home, the victim doesn't usually pussyfoot about by chatting you up beforehand unless they don't actually have any evidence and need a confession.


"Hey we think you dodged some fares, we didn't catch you but your purchase history seems unusual"
"Oh hello, yes, which fares do you think I dodged, please tell me"
"Ok so there's X and Y and Z, we think you've been doing something weird"
"Oh no sorry, I don't evade any fares, I take the train to work every day, always have a ticket"
"Yes, we can see your address is Anytown and you go to work in Bigcity, so you should have a ticket for those trains"
"Yes that's where I live and work, I always have a ticket"
"We can see this ticket ref 7462745 was purchased at 0808 on 24 March but scanned at 0810 to exit Bigcity Central - we put it to you that you boarded the 0730 at Anytown and didn't have a ticket. This is an offence under Bylaw 18" (uh oh)
"Uh...uh. No comment." - at which point your plausible deniability has entirely gone.


I am begging people to understand the importance of not replying to these incredibly speculative emails. And if you get arrested for anything, no comment unless and until you are represented. These are very simple principles.

 

[Haywain]

They close them down. There's no evidence.

Whilst I agree with the general thrust of your comments, I don't think it's quite as simple as that. I suspect that they will either monitor the account or, in some cases, set out to catch the individual if the pattern is serious enough.

if I go ahead and do a nice fat fraud, the first I will probably hear about it is getting arrested at home,

That depends on the circumstances. I have seen fraudulent refund claims in the past and if it's relatively low level a polite letter indicating that we can see whats going on is often enough to put a stop to them. These letters may be slightly less polite but some of them, at least, are achieving the objective of stopping the pattern of behaviour.

 

[Hadders]

I think this sort of behaviour from Greater ANglia is poor. There is no requirement to keep details of railcards held and it is not for the OP to prove the tickets used were valid.

As I said upthread this case all depends on the OP's appetite for risk. If the OP doesn't engage it's highly unlikely that the case can go any further. Greater Anglia will send further threatening letters, I doubt the BTP will be interested although I wouldn't completely rule out a visit from them.

I agree with @Tetchytyke and @AlterEgo assessment of the situation but we really need to know exactly what you said to Greater Anglia when you replied to them.

 

[Tetchytyke]

These letters may be slightly less polite but some of them, at least, are achieving the objective of stopping the pattern of behaviour.

I have no issue with Anglia firing a shot across the bows. Ultimately we all want the same thing: for people to start paying their fares. “We can see your ticket history, we know exactly what you’re up to matey, and we would like to remind you to pay your fares” is a shot across the bows.

These letters go beyond a shot across the bows though. The letters demand a response, they are designed to lure people into a dialogue. These letters only have one objective: to try and get people to drop themselves in it.

Investigative Practice 101 is that you tell people the brief details of what they are accused of as soon as possible. I know this is Investigative Practice 101 because I happen to hold the same professional qualification in investigative practice that the senior TOC investigators also hold. The training tells us it is best practice.

The fact is that they don’t tell people what they are accused of because, quite simply, they don’t know themselves what the person is accused of. All they have is an Excel spreadsheet, for instance of people who only buy tickets five minutes before they get into London, or of people who buy tickets every day between a common short-faring station pair.

So they send a vague email out to try and find out some details to try and get people to drop themselves in it. I don’t strictly think it is unethical- I may have been known to use exactly the same tactic in my day job- but people need to stop and think before replying.

As @AlterEgo says, you have a right to ignore correspondence. For the love of God, use it.

To the (new) OP (who should have started their own thread): as you took the bait we now need to know what you said to them. There’s a good chance you now do need to play ball as you may already have incriminated yourself.