Possible suspicious activity

[Kaius26]

I received a letter today from Northern rail asking me to go for an interview about the possible suspicious activity on my account? Has anyone else had this?


Any help appreciated

 

[furlong]

So where was the letter from? One of the train companies (e.g. Northern)?

Have you any idea what it might be about (e.g. an excessive number of ticket refunds)?

 

[ainsworth74]

Yes are able to provide any more information? Perhaps a photo of the letter (with personal details blacked out!)?

 

[Kaius26]

So where was the letter from? One of the train companies (e.g. Northern)?

Have you any idea what it might be about (e.g. an excessive number of ticket refunds)?

I tried to ring them to ask and was told they could not give me that information so I have not clue what's its about.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Welcome to the forum!

What does the letter say and who is it from, exactly?

Have had a few new forum members on here in recent months who have received broadly similar letters, sometimes it's been because of frequently claiming ticket refunds for journeys "not taken" or numerous Delay Repay claims.

You'll probably know if this is possibly the case.

 

[Kaius26]

So where was the letter from? One of the train companies (e.g. Northern)?

Have you any idea what it might be about (e.g. an excessive number of ticket refunds)?

 

[furlong]

Have you asked for a lot of tickets to be refunded?

If not, do you have any idea what else might be unusual about your journeys and tickets?

 

[Kaius26]

Have you asked for a lot of tickets to be refunded?

If not, do you have any idea what else might be unusual about your journeys and tickets?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

There was 7 in Oct 8 in September 2 in August 5 in July 5 in June 5 in May. But all these were either cancelled or delayed and I have screenshot

 

[furlong]

If you think you really might have done something wrong, you should probably take a solicitor with you. They might advise giving a 'no comment' interview, at least until you know what it is about and whether or not there is an innocent explanation or whether you might attempt to reach a settlement.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

(In terms of Northern, we know they are investigating tickets that were refunded fraudulently at the moment. But when looking for that, they might have found other things too - perhaps people potentially not paying for the whole of their journeys in various ways or using tickets with railcards they aren't entitled to.)

 

[LowLevel]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

There was 7 in Oct 8 in September 2 in August 5 in July 5 in June 5 in May. But all these were either cancelled or delayed and I have screenshot

For the delayed trains did you claim Delay Repay from Northern or refund the tickets in the app? That part is very important. I've come across a lot of passengers of late who seem to think the correct course of action to claim for delays is to refund the ticket in the app rather than go through the delay repay process - doing that could land you in hot water legally.

 

[Kaius26]

All of then have been through the delay repay process never on used the app

 

[greyman42]

I received a letter today from Northern rail asking me to go for an interview about the possible suspicious activity on my account? Has anyone else had this?


Any help appreciated

What exactly do you mean by "my account"?

 

[furlong]

So you have made a significant number of Delay Repay claims. Are they always for the same origin and destination? Is it always the same train time or does that vary a lot?

Do you use electronic tickets, or the card ones you collect from a machine?

If you use the electronic ones, are they normally scanned on your journey - at the start? end? during? Do you always buy them before you board the train (never after the train has set off)?

 

[Kaius26]

If you think you really might have done something wrong, you should probably take a solicitor with you. They might advise giving a 'no comment' interview, at least until you know what it is about and whether or not there is an innocent explanation or whether you might attempt to reach a settlement.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

(In terms of Northern, we know they are investigating tickets that were refunded fraudulently at the moment. But when looking for that, they might have found other things too - perhaps people potentially not paying for the whole of their journeys in various ways or using tickets with railcards they aren't entitled to.)

I don't believe I have done anything. Looking at things now, it may seem as though I have put in a large amount of delay repay claims. Do u think I need a solicitor or do u go and no comment until I know what it's all about?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

So you have made a significant number of Delay Repay claims. Are they always for the same origin and destination? Is it always the same train time or does that vary a lot?

Do you use electronic tickets, or the card ones you collect from a machine?

If you use the electronic ones, are they normally scanned on your journey - at the start? end? during? Do you always buy them before you board the train (never after the train has set off)?

No it's not an e ticket, it's a complimentary ticket, same destination different times different days. My ticket is filled out before I get on the train. For example 15/10/21 8.30 was cancelled
9/10 the 20.30 was cancelled
8/10 7.33 was cancelled

 

[Kaius26]

What exactly do you mean by "my account"?

On the northen rail delay repay application account

 

[Horizon22]

This sounds strangely similar to the Greater Anglia thread that was rumbling along for a while...

How many times do you usually travel? Daily? Weekly? Less often?

 

[Kaius26]

This sounds strangely similar to the Greater Anglia thread that was rumbling along for a while...

How many times do you usually travel? Daily? Weekly? Less often?

Daily for work

 

[furlong]

One sort of fraud they might be considering is making claims for journeys you didn't actually make. If the times of the trains vary a lot, they might suspect that. Maybe you'd have some evidence to reassure them your travel pattern really was what you claim it was e.g. records of purchase transactions at start/end of journey if you always bought a coffee say, or records of arrival/departure from work or anything else like that. While it's for them to prove you did something wrong, if you have evidence you didn't it could save time and worry.

Sometimes with Delay Repay they find discrepancies where public data on the web was incorrect and they can spot a false claim that was based on what a website says happened rather than on what really happened to passengers making the journey.

With the other thread referred to, we saw they looked at smartcard data that disagreed with the journeys claimed to have been made.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

For work, if you use a key fob to open doors, that sort of data from your employer could prove your approximate arrival/leaving times if they varied a lot.

Again with the other thread, there seemed to be an element of 'fishing' where they just flagged up "a lot of claims" before they really knew whether it was just "the people who bothered to claim every time they genuinely could" who naturally made a lot of genuine claims when compared with "most people who don't bother to claim what they're entitled to".

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

Also, if you are continuing to travel by train at the moment, assuming you have a smartphone it would be a good idea to take a photo at the start and end of every journey you make showing one of the station information boards with the time and some train details on it and enough background context to show clearly where it was taken. So at least you'll be able to prove you travelled if they get reluctant to pay out any future claims you make.

 

[Horizon22]

Daily for work

Fair enough. Did you do this throughout the pandemic/lockdowns also?

 

[AlterEgo]

Daily for work

And do you have a season ticket?

 

[Haywain]

I received a letter today from Northern rail asking me to go for an interview about the possible suspicious activity on my account? Has anyone else had this?


Any help appreciated

As they are inviting you to a formal ‘PACE’ interview, it would be a very good idea to at least take legal advice before you attend (if you choose to).

 

[Kaius26]

Fair enough. Did you do this throughout the pandemic/lockdowns also?

Yes I still worked everyday throughout

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

As they are inviting you to a formal ‘PACE’ interview, it would be a very good idea to at least take legal advice before you attend (if you choose to).

Is there anywhere that does free legal advice? Thanks

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

And do you have a season

For the period they are saying is suspicious I used a complimentary ticket

 

[greyman42]

Is there anywhere that does free legal advice? Thanks

Are you in a union?

 

[Haywain]

For the period they are saying is suspicious I used a complimentary ticket

As in free?

 

[Towers]

Does your mobile phone hold location data? In many cases this can unequivocally show that you made a particular journey from A to B at a particular time; it may well be of use.

 

[Kaius26]

As in free?

Yes

 

[Darandio]

For the period they are saying is suspicious I used a complimentary ticket

A complimentary ticket from May through to October?

 

[Kaius26]

Does your mobile phone hold location data? In many cases this can unequivocally show that you made a particular journey from A to B at a particular time; it may well be of use.

Will check thanks

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

A complimentary ticket from May through to pr

 

[RPI]

Have you ever short fared? Ie buying a short ticket just to get through the barriers at one end of the journey?

 

[Kaius26]

Prior to the complimentary I had season tickets everytime there was a delay or cancelled train I requested a comp ticket, and did not start using these till May

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Nov 2021 ==

Have you ever short fared? Ie buying a short ticket just to get through the barriers at one end of the journey?

No never done that