Short Fare, Invalid Rail Card

[taylorswift13]

Yesterday on the train from Feltham to Reading I got caught. From trainline I bought a ticket before a station that ticket inspector came and check, and he immediately questioned me whether I am just paid for the ticket just now. I lied to him that I bought it from the Martins Heron. He started accusing me of lying, I accidently show the ticket that I used to go into the gate from feltham to Twickenham with 16-18 invalid rail card. He said he will refer me to the trainline fraud team to check all my tickets.
My trainline is not logged in and the email connected to is not under my real name. I also live very heptic life style so I have about 130 tickets where I used for short fare and invalid ticket.

I went and chat with him afterwards asking what would be the next step, he said I would get refer to and call in for interview. I apologised to him multiple times but he said he will still refer to it as it is not fair for other people if he doesn't.

He did not take any of my details but he scanned my ticket. He also asked me to pay for the full fare but told me he will still refer to fraud team.

I am not sure what would be the next step.
I just cannot have criminal record as it would effect my PR chance and the same for my job application in the future.

I do not mind paying the penalty fare for all the tickets.

1.How can I avoid getting the criminal charges?

2. If it is settlement fare, would they offer me the installments?

3. Is it possible that they are just scaring me since they did not ask for any of my details?

4. The settlement fee would get me out of the criminal or out of court?

 

[jfollows]

Welcome to the forum, to answer your questions

1. You agree an out of court settlement, by responding to the letter they will send, apologising, explaining why you will not do it again and pay their costs plus unpaid fares.
2. Generally not.
3. They scanned your ticket and will get details from that.
4. If you settle you will not go to court.

Do not attend any interview without advice beforehand. Normally this can be dealt with by letter or email.

 

[taylorswift13]

Welcome to the forum, to answer your questions

1. You agree an out of court settlement, by responding to the letter they will send, apologising, explaining why you will not do it again and pay their costs plus unpaid fares.
2. Generally not.
3. They scanned your ticket and will get details from that.
4. If you settle you will not go to court.

Do not attend any interview without advice beforehand. Normally this can be dealt with by letter or email.

1.How would they get my details if the trainline is not connected to any of my socials or my name?

2. I am guessing that ticket fee would be about £3000? It's mostly short trip from riddlesdown to london victoria

3. Where can I get advice if I have to go to the interview? Are there any free solicitors?

 

[jfollows]

Although we’re getting ahead of ourselves, they are unlikely to interview you as long as you engage with them when they write to you.
They will probably want £9.40 for every single journey they think invalid (so £18.80 for each return trip) plus £150 to settle.
I do not understand Trainline so I can not answer your question about it.

 

[taylorswift13]

Date of incident: Yesterday, on the train from Feltham to Reading.

Ticket purchased: Bought via Trainline, but from a station closer than origin.

Interaction: Ticket inspector questioned whether I had just purchased the ticket. I lied and said it was from Martins Heron.

Mistake: I accidentally showed another ticket used earlier (Feltham → Twickenham with an invalid 16–18 railcard).

Inspector’s response:

Accused me of lying.

Said he would refer my case to the Trainline fraud team.

Told me I may be called in for an interview.

Asked me to pay the full fare but said referral would still happen.


My situation:

My Trainline account is not logged in, and the linked email is not under my real name.

I have a hectic lifestyle, with about 130 trips (around 125 within London) where I underpaid or used an invalid railcard. (all bought on trainline)

I apologised to the inspector, but he said he still had to refer me.

Importantly, he did not take my details — he only scanned my ticket.




---

My Concerns

I cannot afford to have a criminal record because it would affect:

My future Permanent Residency (PR) application.

My career/job applications in the UK.



---

Key Questions

1. Avoiding Criminal Charges

How can I make sure this does not turn into a criminal record?

Is it possible to resolve through settlement before court?



2. Settlement Fee

If I am offered a settlement, will they allow installment payments if the amount is large?



3. Possibility of Scare Tactic

Since the inspector did not take my personal details (only scanned the ticket), is it possible this was just to scare me, and nothing further will happen?



4. Settlement vs Court

If I pay the settlement fee,
does this guarantee the case is closed (no court, no criminal record)?

 

[WesternLancer]

1.How would they get my details if the trainline is not connected to any of my socials or my name?

Its connected to some sort of payment method / bank account however I assume

they can potentially access all of this under the 'prevention of crime' exemptions to data protection

3. Where can I get advice if I have to go to the interview? Are there any free solicitors?

I don't think this sort of offence allows access to free legal advice - but you could see if there is a charity Law Centre or CAB where you live that might help you. But you have to appreciate you have been caught for a criminal act and they have the evidence of that which they can prosecute you for in court. Depending on what you said when asked you may have even admitted it.

There are solicitors that specialise in this area of law that you could engage - their fees are probably around or above £600

 

[MarlowDonkey]

1.How would they get my details if the trainline is not connected to any of my socials or my name?

They would most likely use the debit or credit card used to pay for the tickets.

 

[taylorswift13]

Its connected to some sort of payment method / bank account however I assume

they can potentially access all of this under the 'prevention of crime' exemptions to data protection


I don't think this sort of offence allows access to free legal advice - but you could see if there is a charity Law Centre or CAB where you live that might help you. But you have to appreciate you have been caught for a criminal act and they have the evidence of that which they can prosecute you for in court. Depending on what you said when asked you may have even admitted it.

There are solicitors that specialise in this area of law that you could engage - their fees are probably around or above £600

Are you saying that I might not even get a settlement?

 

[John R]

Are you saying that I might not even get a settlement?

From our experience, if you cooperate when written to, apologise, and ask very nicely for a settlement then you will get offered one, even for cases where the number of instances of fare evasion is very high.

 

[WesternLancer]

Are you saying that I might not even get a settlement?

no - I'm saying that you might need to work hard to get a settlement if you have a history of persistent evasion.

There is no automatic right to a settlement out of court - look at it from their point of view - you have been stealing from them by not paying what you owe.

Here is a post by a long time contributor which gives a very good general overview of things which may be of help to you

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and the railway company are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to.
Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have 14 days to do so.

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare(s) and administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway company will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare(s) for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other suspicious tickets they may factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement. Depending on how many journeys you've made this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[The Sorcerer]

Yesterday on the train from Feltham to Reading I got caught. From trainline I bought a ticket before a station that ticket inspector came and check, and he immediately questioned me whether I am just paid for the ticket just now. I lied to him that I bought it from the Martins Heron. He started accusing me of lying, I accidently show the ticket that I used to go into the gate from feltham to Twickenham with 16-18 invalid rail card. He said he will refer me to the trainline fraud team to check all my tickets.
My trainline is not logged in and the email connected to is not under my real name. I also live very heptic life style so I have about 130 tickets where I used for short fare and invalid ticket.

I went and chat with him afterwards asking what would be the next step, he said I would get refer to and call in for interview. I apologised to him multiple times but he said he will still refer to it as it is not fair for other people if he doesn't.

He did not take any of my details but he scanned my ticket. He also asked me to pay for the full fare but told me he will still refer to fraud team.

I am not sure what would be the next step.
I just cannot have criminal record as it would effect my PR chance and the same for my job application in the future.

I do not mind paying the penalty fare for all the tickets.

1.How can I avoid getting the criminal charges?

2. If it is settlement fare, would they offer me the installments?

3. Is it possible that they are just scaring me since they did not ask for any of my details?

4. The settlement fee would get me out of the criminal or out of court?

Did you pay the full fare that he asked for?

 

[taylorswift13]

Did you pay the full fare that he asked for?

Yes I did pay for the full fare that he asked for

 

[DeverseSam]

Is it possible that they are just scaring me since they did not ask for any of my details?

Yes, based on similar threads, there’s a good chance of not being investigated

 

[taylorswift13]

Is it possible that they are just scaring me since they did not ask for any of my details?

Yes, based on similar threads, there’s a good chance of not being investigated

Can you show me the similar thread?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Is it possible that they are just scaring me since they did not ask for any of my details?

Yes, based on similar threads, there’s a good chance of not being investigated

I don't think we can be too sanguine.

The ticket was bought from Trainline, and we know that Trainline share information (when asked) with railway companies. It's also the case that the railway have about six months to investigate things, and aren't obliged to get back to the passenger until/unless they decide to prosecute.

So you will need to wait for six months (and probably a little longer) before you can be certain that you won't hear any more about this.

 

[taylorswift13]

I don't think we can be too sanguine.

The ticket was bought from Trainline, and we know that Trainline share information (when asked) with railway companies. It's also the case that the railway have about six months to investigate things, and aren't obliged to get back to the passenger until/unless they decide to prosecute.

So you will need to wait for six months (and probably a little longer) before you can be certain that you won't hear any more about this.

For me I can pay for it by asking loan or saving up. Only thing I cannot get is I work in a sector where I cannot get criminal offence at all + I am on Visa. I just need to avoid criminal charges or going to court.

Do they offer settlement charge to everyone or not? Is my case bad?

 

[DeverseSam]

Can you show me the similar thread?

Help!! Expired railcard- previous incidents

Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read. On the 2/2/25 I was travelling on a transpennine train from Newcastle to York on a discounted ticket with a 16-25 railcard. The train inspector asked to see my ticket and railcard, unknowingly it had expired. He took all my details and recorded...

www.railforums.co.uk

In my opinion, the fact that you paid the ticket inspector for a new ticket is a good sign. When they issue MG11 they refuse to sell a ticket.

 

[taylorswift13]

Help!! Expired railcard- previous incidents

Hello, Thank you for taking your time to read. On the 2/2/25 I was travelling on a transpennine train from Newcastle to York on a discounted ticket with a 16-25 railcard. The train inspector asked to see my ticket and railcard, unknowingly it had expired. He took all my details and recorded...

www.railforums.co.uk

In my opinion, the fact that you paid the ticket inspector for a new ticket is a good sign. When they issue MG11 they refuse to sell a ticket.

What is MG11 please?

 

[DeverseSam]

What is MG11 please?

A report that the inspector fills in and sends to the prosecution team

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Oct 2025 ==

This thread is even clearer, they can’t charge the passenger at the time, and then prosecute later:

Penalty fare notice

Hello Today I was stopped by the railway inspector and I had bought a 16-25 ticket instead of a 16-25 one, he asked me for my name and address which I gave to him and then he looked at my trip history. He saw that I have bought the tickets on 16-17 for 10 times before which i bought 16-25 up to...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[The Sorcerer]

Yes I did pay for the full fare that he asked for

Revenue staff are told not to take the fare where a prosecution is under consideration. It looks like the member of staff has made a mistake charging you the fare. It can make prosecution void.
You can now show a court a ticket for your journey. Any other prosecutions would require evidence you travelled on a train, just purchasing tickets is not enough evidence to convict, the railway have to prove you actually travelled.

 

[MotCO]

Revenue staff are told not to take the fare where a prosecution is under consideration. It looks like the member of staff has made a mistake charging you the fare. It can make prosecution void.
You can now show a court a ticket for your journey. Any other prosecutions would require evidence you travelled on a train, just purchasing tickets is not enough evidence to convict, the railway have to prove you actually travelled.

If this is the case, then count yourself incredibly lucky. You must from here on in pay the correct fare for every journey you undertake, because if you come to their attention again, you will not be so lucky.

You can now show a court a ticket for your journey.

Make sure you retain this ticket until you can be certain that the case is closed - at least 6/7 months.

 

[35B]

For me I can pay for it by asking loan or saving up. Only thing I cannot get is I work in a sector where I cannot get criminal offence at all + I am on Visa. I just need to avoid criminal charges or going to court.

You are not the first person to seek advice on here because you are concerned about your professional and/or visa status.

If either or both of those are jeopardised, it will be because of your conduct. When you say "I just need to avoid criminal charges or going to court", you need first to acknowledge to yourself that you have repeatedly committed a criminal act. The consequences follow from that.

You will get good advice on how to handle the situation you are in, and to minimise the consequences of that, but please learn from this.

As a visa holder, I also suggest you consider what is being reported in the news. The political climate is changing, and politicians of all parties are using much language about visas and having a clean record. Those comments haven't led to changes in law, but they should affect your attitude to obeying the rules before you find they do change, and you are caught the wrong side of them.

 

[taylorswift13]

A report that the inspector fills in and sends to the prosecution team

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Oct 2025 ==

This thread is even clearer, they can’t charge the passenger at the time, and then prosecute later:

Penalty fare notice

Hello Today I was stopped by the railway inspector and I had bought a 16-25 ticket instead of a 16-25 one, he asked me for my name and address which I gave to him and then he looked at my trip history. He saw that I have bought the tickets on 16-17 for 10 times before which i bought 16-25 up to...

www.railforums.co.uk

I didn't get any questions a

You are not the first person to seek advice on here because you are concerned about your professional and/or visa status.

If either or both of those are jeopardised, it will be because of your conduct. When you say "I just need to avoid criminal charges or going to court", you need first to acknowledge to yourself that you have repeatedly committed a criminal act. The consequences follow from that.

You will get good advice on how to handle the situation you are in, and to minimise the consequences of that, but please learn from this.

As a visa holder, I also suggest you consider what is being reported in the news. The political climate is changing, and politicians of all parties are using much language about visas and having a clean record. Those comments haven't led to changes in law, but they should affect your attitude to obeying the rules before you find they do change, and you are caught the wrong side of them.

Yes I am never doing this again or be cautious of what I should be doing and not doing. I fully take responsibility of what I have done but I will be over the moon if it just ends with settlement fee.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Oct 2025 ==

If this is the case, then count yourself incredibly lucky. You must from here on in pay the correct fare for every journey you undertake, because if you come to their attention again, you will not be so lucky.


Make sure you retain this ticket until you can be certain that the case is closed - at least 6/7 months.

At the same time, if they go back to the trainline, there is about 120-130 trips where I used 16-17 card which is not valid for me, and using short fare. They said they will refer me to trainline to check this. Would this be a same case or my case here is done because I am never doing something similar to this again?

 

[taylorswift13]

Revenue staff are told not to take the fare where a prosecution is under consideration. It looks like the member of staff has made a mistake charging you the fare. It can make prosecution void.
You can now show a court a ticket for your journey. Any other prosecutions would require evidence you travelled on a train, just purchasing tickets is not enough evidence to convict, the railway have to prove you actually travelled.

Can someone confirm this please?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Oct 2025 ==

Although we’re getting ahead of ourselves, they are unlikely to interview you as long as you engage with them when they write to you.
They will probably want £9.40 for every single journey they think invalid (so £18.80 for each return trip) plus £150 to settle.
I do not understand Trainline so I can not answer your question about it.

Is it £150 admin fee for each ticket or £150 in total?

 

[jfollows]

Is it £150 admin fee for each ticket or £150 in total?

In total, to cover their investigation expenses.

 

[MotCO]

At the same time, if they go back to the trainline, there is about 120-130 trips where I used 16-17 card which is not valid for me, and using short fare. They said they will refer me to trainline to check this. Would this be a same case or my case here is done because I am never doing something similar to this again?

At this stage, we don't know - you need to wait to see if a letter arrives. If it does, come back here for more advice.

 

[taylorswift13]

At this stage, we don't know - you need to wait to see if a letter arrives. If it does, come back here for more advice.

I will come back. I think it will take time because I recently moved houses and yes I will ask my old landlord to check on it. Also hopefully they get my right address. They didn't ask for any info either so I think it might take time

 

[Titfield]

I will come back. I think it will take time because I recently moved houses and yes I will ask my old landlord to check on it. Also hopefully they get my right address. They didn't ask for any info either so I think it might take time

Stop right there. Put in place postal redirection for your mail. You can not rely on your old landlord or the new tenants to alert you to mail for you and to forward it on.

If mail goes astray it can have very serious consequences which can take a lot of time and effort to unwind.

 

[MotCO]

Stop right there. Put in place postal redirection for your mail. You can not rely on your old landlord or the new tenants to alert you to mail for you and to forward it on.

If mail goes astray it can have very serious consequences which can take a lot of time and effort to unwind.

https://www.royalmail.com/start-your-redirection

 

[taylorswift13]

https://www.royalmail.com/start-your-redirection

Hello, I just changed this. Thanks for letting me know.