Photoshopped an e-ticket: Will I be found/fined?

[Mocok]

I've made the stupid mistake to follow a friend's recommendation and photoshopped a return Stansted Express ticket from one I bought months ago. I used it for one journey but for the return journey the Stansted Express employee at the gate scanned my barcode and immediately stopped me at the entrance. He told me that my ticket was expired and that the date on it was fabricated. I mumbled something that I got the ticket from someone and that I'll buy a new ticket. The inspector at the gate took my fabricated printed ticket, but let me go without asking any other details. I bought a new ticket and used a different entrance.

I regretted it immediately and will never do something like this again. My main question for now is if the authorities will be able to find me and prosecute me based on the old ticket's barcode or not?

 

[yorkie]

As they did not take your details and let you buy a replacement ticket, you are very lucky and that is probably the end of the matter.

If the (Aztec) barcode is intact then yes they can read it; whether or not they can identify the individual who bought the original ticket or not might depend on various factors.

That said, it would be difficult to prove that the holder of the original ticket was guilty of any wrongdoing, and I don't see how they could prove that, at least not without any additional evidence.

After all, anyone could obtain any such used ticket, make amendments to it, and pass it off as valid; the person(s) who carries out the deception is/are the guilty party, not necessarily the original purchaser (or indeed user; a ticket can be bought for someone else) of the original ticket.

 

[Mocok]

As they did not take your details and let you buy a replacement ticket, you are very lucky and that is probably the end of the matter.

If the (Aztec) barcode is intact then yes they can read it; whether or not they can identify the individual who bought the original ticket or not might depend on various factors.

That said, it would be difficult to prove that the holder of the original ticket was guilty of any wrongdoing, and I don't see how they could prove that, at least not without any additional evidence.

After all, anyone could obtain any such used ticket, make amendments to it, and pass it off as valid; the person who carries out the deception is the guilty party, not necessarily the older of the original ticket.

I understand. Thank you!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

As they did not take your details and let you buy a replacement ticket, you are very lucky and that is probably the end of the matter.

Just emphasising part of this. As I understand it, the usual practice is to take details and this is followed up with a view to prosecution (or at best an out of court settlement). So the fact that the OP got very lucky once is no reason for anyone to hope that they will be very lucky on another occasion.

 

[js1000]

Offences like forging a ticket or short-faring are deliberate and pre-meditated attempts to defraud the railway. You're just very lucky that this happened at a manned ticket gate when entering the station and they just asked you to buy another ticket rather than on-board or exiting a station. A conductor or revenue officer at station exit barriers would have probably twigged why you were happy to buy another ticket in the knowledge it was a forged ticket and why it was not processing.

As Yorkie says, without taking your personal details or an MG11 form there and then, it is difficult to prove much. If it is of any comfort I doubt they will be in contact with you and that when you bought a new ticket prior to travelling that was the end of the matter. Notwithstanding, don't do it again.

 

[Bletchleyite]

While it does happen, it's fairly rare for a prosecution to be pursued for someone caught trying to enter a barrier, they are usually just told to go and buy a new ticket, as it seems happened here. A prosecution would be near-certain if this had been discovered while inside the system or on exit.