Greater Anglia Fraud Investigation Letter

[RBO26]

Hi, everyone

I've received an email from GA's fraud investigation service this morning saying the following:

"Re: Trainline / UBER / Account
Following a review of your bookings, several travel irregularities were identified.
These irregularities involve your journeys on Greater Anglia Services between September 2024 and November 2025.
We are seeking to ascertain whether a valid ticket was held for these journeys. We invite you to respond to this letter within 7 days by email to Fraud.Investigations@greateranglia.co.uk
quoting the reference number {redacted} in the subject field.

In your response, please provide any statements or mitigations, as well as any supporting documentation, that you would like us to consider in relation to this matter.
Yours sincerely,

Siobhan Watts
Fraud and Investigations

Within that time period, I've only travelled without a valid ticket literally once or twice, but Chelmsford station's gates are often broken, so they just let everyone through without needing to scan the ticket.

Any advice on whether this is a real email and, if it is, on how to proceed?

I've also held a monthly pass for the majority of this time period, if it helps.

 

[z444z]

This is a real email but it is a fishing exercise, they have no evidence that you used these tickets, they are just hoping you’ll own up to it. Don’t respond.

 

[RBO26]

This is a real email but it is a fishing exercise, they have no evidence that you used these tickets, they are just hoping you’ll own up to it. Don’t respond.

I've ended up responding before I saw your reply (thanks for the reply, by the way). This is what I've said:
"This is RBO26 emailing a response to an email I've received from you about potential fradulent activity on my journeys from 09/2024 to 11/2025. Just to let you know I had a monthly trainpass between 09/24 and 07/2025. I haven't travelled by train anywhere from 22/07 to 15/08. Then, I've always bought anytime day single passes every time I've used your services.

Could you please explain to me how I could provide you with evidence to confirm what I've said above?"

Any thoughts? Did I incriminate myself and have to play ball now, or could I just end the exchanges here, you think?

 

[z444z]

Any thoughts? Did I incriminate myself and have to play ball now, or could I just end the exchanges here, you think?

If what you’ve said is true that’s fine, but it’s still far better to ignore these emails. Now that you’ve replied they know the emails are reaching you and that you can be pressured into responding.

You just need to wait and see what they reply with now.

 

[RBO26]

If what you’ve said is true that’s fine, but it’s still far better to ignore these emails. Now that you’ve replied they know the emails are reaching you and that you can be pressured into responding.

You just need to wait and see what they reply with now.

Thanks for the reply once again and for the help!

 

[z444z]

No problem, come back when they get back to you!

 

[saismee]

Chelmsford station's gates are often broken, so they just let everyone through without needing to scan the ticket.

This is untrue, it may just be uncaring gateline staff or a method of clearing a crowd quickly by visual inspection.

 

[RBO26]

This is untrue, it may just be uncaring gateline staff or a method of clearing a crowd quickly by visual inspection.

Whatever the reason is, it happens a lot.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Nov 2025 ==

No problem, come back when they get back to you!

They just came back to me. This is what they've said:

"Good Morning,

Thank you for getting into contact about your case.
Your account was highlighted due to some tickets either being purchased on board the trains or on arrival at stations. These tickets have been scanned on the barriers just after purchase to exit the barriers. These tickets are not valid. Tickets must be purchased prior to boarding the train to be valid. This flagged your account as possible fraudulent travel.
For example:

12/11/2025 19:51:00​

Ingatestone

Chelmsford

The time you are scanning in does not correlate with Greater Anglia services stopping at Ingatestone during this time. Therefore, can you please confirm your full journey.

At this stage we would like to offer you an opportunity to explain these irregularities on your account, and based on your response the decision will be to either offer you the opportunity to repay any funds relating to these journeys (plus our administration fee), (b) to forward your case to our prosecutions department for processing or (c) close your case (if sufficient evidence has been provided and proved)."

The case they've pointed out only happened once. I accidently bought the wrong ticket, so I bought a new one upon arrival into Chelmsford to be able to go through the gates.
Any suggestions on how to proceed from here?

 

[AlterEgo]

Sure. Stop talking to them. No good consequences will arise unless you like giving them money.

 

[bluebaby]

Sure. Stop talking to them. No good consequences will arise unless you like giving them money.

But then surely the next step is court prosecution which is worse

 

[AlterEgo]

But then surely the next step is court prosecution which is worse

No, because they have no evidence to do that.

 

[Tetchytyke]

But then surely the next step is court prosecution which is worse

To make a prosecution stick they have to prove the ticket was used, that it was used incorrectly, and that the OP was the one who was using the ticket.

With electronic scans the first two are easier to prove, but the last point remains the sticking point.

There is a reason why I advise people to ignore these emails. You have a right to silence and people ought to exercise it.

Any suggestions on how to proceed from here?

You’ve taken the bait and entered into dialogue. There is only one way continuing this dialogue ends: you writing a big fat cheque payable to Greater Anglia.

If you’ve bought your tickets after boarding your train then you have committed a criminal offence on each occasion you have done it. If you have been tempted to short-fare then you’ve committed a criminal offence on each occasion you have done it.

The best piece of advice, other than stop talking yourself into trouble, is to start buying your tickets correctly.

 

[RBO26]

I've not responded to the last email they've sent me, which was last week. They've emailed me today saying they will take my case into prosecution if I don't reply to them in 5 working days. Any advice from anyone on how to proceed from here?

 

[AlterEgo]

I've not responded to the last email they've sent me, which was last week. They've emailed me today saying they will take my case into prosecution if I don't reply to them in 5 working days. Any advice from anyone on how to proceed from here?

Ignore them, and continue to ignore them.

 

[RBO26]

Ignore them, and continue to ignore them.

Do you think legal consequences can arise from ignore them?

 

[AlterEgo]

Do you think legal consequences can arise from ignore them?

No. They are asking you to incriminate yourself because they do not have the evidence to proceed with a prosecution. So it's best to keep quiet.

 

[RBO26]

Their exact wording was:

"
We have not received any contact from you; you were previously contacted on 25/11/2025.
At this stage we would like to offer you an opportunity to explain these irregularities on your account, and based on your response the decision will be to either offer you the opportunity to repay any funds relating to these journeys (plus our administration fee), (b) to forward your case to our prosecutions department for processing or (c) or close your case (if sufficient evidence has been provided and proved)
If we do not hear from you within the next 5 working days, your case will be passed over to our Prosecutions team for processing."

What do you think will happen if they do send this to that prosecutions team? How can you be sure they don't have evidence of anything? Is this just some intimidation tactic?

No. They are asking you to incriminate yourself because they do not have the evidence to proceed with a prosecution. So it's best to keep quiet.

 

[AlterEgo]

They haven't caught you and identified you *while travelling*, which is the crux of any railway related offence. Given that they haven't done that, they're emailing you to see if you'll incriminate yourself instead. The whole reason they're emailing you instead of just cracking on is because they don't have any evidence.

If you ignore them nothing will happen, as is the case with every other case like this we've seen here.

 

[RBO26]

They haven't caught you and identified you *while travelling*, which is the crux of any railway related offence. Given that they haven't done that, they're emailing you to see if you'll incriminate yourself instead. The whole reason they're emailing you instead of just cracking on is because they don't have any evidence.

If you ignore them nothing will happen, as is the case with every other case like this we've seen here.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the advice! I'll keep you posted.

 

[442Haz]

This is the classic no comment scenario. It’ll go away but as others have mentioned, cover your backside in future by buying pre boarding where possible.

 

[RBO26]

This is the classic no comment scenario. It’ll go away but as others have mentioned, cover your backside in future by buying pre boarding where possible.

I did buy the ticket, I just bought the wrong one by accident. Still wrong, but I've been as honest as I could in that regard.

 

[reb0118]

To make a prosecution stick they have to prove the ticket was used, that it was used incorrectly, and that the OP was the one who was using the ticket.

With electronic scans the first two are easier to prove, but the last point remains the sticking point.

As an aside: could there be a difference in this with regard to the format of the ticket? An e-ticket can legitimately be purchased on behalf of someone else. An m-ticket, on the other hand, is associated with the mobile device it was downloaded to. Therefore it would be highly unlikely that that device would be handed to another to use.

Possibly/Probably off topic.

 

[toni123]

Hello. i am in a similar situation. Please may you update on your situation since ignoring the emails? thanks

 

[z444z]

Hello. i am in a similar situation. Please may you update on your situation since ignoring the emails? thanks

Every situation is a little different so it’s best if you make your own thread