i messed up

[jfollows]

You’re not going to prison, we’ve already said that more than once, and you only risk a criminal record if you do not engage with them.
You need to write to them, apologising, and explaining why you won’t do it again, ask to pay outstanding fares plus their investigation costs.
Keep it short.
Don’t say things like

I am not someone who breaks the law

because, actually, you are. Just don’t go there.
Look again at this section of the forum for examples, and I suggest you post a draft here which we can help you improve.

Keep it short compared to your original proposal! Think of the person receiving your letter/email, they’ve heard it all before.

Do not bring up anything they do not ask for in their letter.

I don’t believe you need a solicitor if you do your research here and get input.

 

[sssa]

they responded quickly with this :
s an alternative to the case being referred for prosecution, GTR may be prepared to offer you the option of paying a financial settlement, consisting of ALL fares that were avoided plus associated investigation costs. You are under no obligation to reach a settlement agreement with GTR regarding this matter; however, the only alternative course of action would see a Notice of Intention to Prosecute being issued in lieu of the case proceeding to court. Please note, it will only be possible for the two parties to reach a settlement agreement subject to you being completely open and honest regarding your fraudulent rail travel.

Please confirm whether you wish to engage with GTR regarding a potential settlement?

i feel a bit reassured? I am happy to do whatever it takes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2025 ==

I do not have the money for a solicitor!

 

[tatitiliti]

they responded quickly with this :
s an alternative to the case being referred for prosecution, GTR may be prepared to offer you the option of paying a financial settlement, consisting of ALL fares that were avoided plus associated investigation costs. You are under no obligation to reach a settlement agreement with GTR regarding this matter; however, the only alternative course of action would see a Notice of Intention to Prosecute being issued in lieu of the case proceeding to court. Please note, it will only be possible for the two parties to reach a settlement agreement subject to you being completely open and honest regarding your fraudulent rail travel.

Please confirm whether you wish to engage with GTR regarding a potential settlement?

i feel a bit reassured? I am happy to do whatever it takes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2025 ==

I do not have the money for a solicitor!

They’ve basically done the work for you - saving both of you time, money and letters back and forth.

Reply politely but concisely in the affirmative. Be prepared to have to pay a full lump sum quickly and if you want to stay out of court, don’t haggle unless you’ve got undeniable proof they’ve made a genuine error.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

they responded quickly with this :
s an alternative to the case being referred for prosecution, GTR may be prepared to offer you the option of paying a financial settlement, consisting of ALL fares that were avoided plus associated investigation costs. You are under no obligation to reach a settlement agreement with GTR regarding this matter; however, the only alternative course of action would see a Notice of Intention to Prosecute being issued in lieu of the case proceeding to court. Please note, it will only be possible for the two parties to reach a settlement agreement subject to you being completely open and honest regarding your fraudulent rail travel.

Please confirm whether you wish to engage with GTR regarding a potential settlement?

i feel a bit reassured? I am happy to do whatever it takes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2025 ==

I do not have the money for a solicitor!

What we generally suggest at this point is that you try to work out which journeys you fare dodged on: the railway have their own idea of when you did this, so if you come up with a list which is much the same, they will probably agree that you are being 'open and honest', and let you settle out of court.

So start by seeing if you have details of journeys on your trainline (or similar) account. If that doesn't give you everything, have a look at your bank/credit card statements to see if those give you any hints. As a fallback, think through what you did: how often did you make the journey(s) (every day, or a couple of times a week, and so on)? Once you know that, how often did you fare dodge (every time? Only before pay day when money was a bit tight? Thursdays and Fridays? Something else?)? Once you've worked out how often you did it (and you need to be very honest with yourself) it might be that the railway will accept you saying something like 'I cannot remember the exact times that I fare dodged, but I estimate it was on xxx journeys between <start date> and <end date>.

 

[John R]

You don’t need a solicitor given that letter.

Reply confirming you want to discuss a settlement and promising to be honest and open with them. Nice and simple.

 

[sssa]

hi all, i am a bit sceptical. upon looking closely at the dates they have told me- although the dates are similar, the time of purchase are definitely not correct. also- i have checked my trainline app and some dates even dont add up? however, i have defiantely dodged before. furthermore, i have not actually recieved a letter to my home- but only this email? and the link they sent me to pay just seems a bit odd. could this be a scam from people who have caught onto this ? the charge i have is pretty high but im happy to pay it- but im being slightly cautious

 

[AlterEgo]

hi all, i am a bit sceptical. upon looking closely at the dates they have told me- although the dates are similar, the time of purchase are definitely not correct. also- i have checked my trainline app and some dates even dont add up? however, i have defiantely dodged before. furthermore, i have not actually recieved a letter to my home- but only this email? and the link they sent me to pay just seems a bit odd. could this be a scam from people who have caught onto this ? the charge i have is pretty high but im happy to pay it- but im being slightly cautious

Show us the email and we can tell you (remove your personal details though!).

 

[duffield]

Show us the email and we can tell you (remove your personal details though!).

It's pretty clear the email is valid, since it's a direct follow-up to an email which identified correctly when and where they were stopped. It seems beyond belief that that could be a fake or scam. Quoting from the earlier email:

I am contacting you in relation to the statement you gave to a Revenue Officer on 25 June 2025 at LONDON BLACKFRIARS station.



You were found not to be in possession of a valid rail ticket for your journey between BRIGHTON & FARRINGDON and were subsequently interviewed under caution.

Assuming these details are correct, the email and the subsequent to and fro bases on it must be genuine. Unless I'm massively understanding something.

 

[Camsus]

So the email you received stating "GTR’s Fraud Department has established that you avoided rail fares on multiple dates", also said you were spoken to on 25th June at Blackfriars. I assume the email had a reference number on it? If so, did it match the reference on the orange witness statement receipt you received when questioned? If it does, it must be legitimate.

Also, GTR's payment link should take you to the screen shown in the pic. Does the link you were provided with take you to the same screen? If it does, I think you are absolutely fine and should grab the opportunity you've been given to sort this outside of court