WMT Small Journey Fraud

[hswa2025]

Hi all,

Received the below email from WMT and after a quick look at other threads I assume they have logged my account and know this isn’t the first time I have bought a ticket for a shorter journey than I actually took. I usually go from Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham New Street but buy from Duddeston or Tame Bridge Parkway if the gates aren’t opened.

I received this email after being caught by the transport police. I cooperated with them at the time and gave my details.

I’m not looking for a lecture or an excuse out of it, just how to avoid criminal conviction. I have paid the full fare for every journey since getting caught and I recently purchased a SWIFT pass, so hoping mentioning that can be used as proof that I am not going to continue this behavior but really looking for advice on how to ask them to settle out of court and whether it’s appropriate to ask them if the settlement offer can be broken up into smaller sums monthly or whether I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and pay the full thing.

I’m not a criminal I’m just broke.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Bungle158]

I can't think of a forum which offers a better standard of non judgemental help to those in your situation. That said, you have committed at least one criminal offence and the TOC have every right to prosecute. Providing there are no aggravating elements though, there is a good chance that you will achieve a settlement.

The experts will be along shortly, perhaps get relevant events clear in your mind and be prepared to post as much info as possible in order for them to assist you.

 

[Haywain]

I’m not a criminal I’m just broke.

Sad to say that, in the eyes of the railway and according to the law, you do appear to be a criminal. However, the offence is a minor one and is not likely to be life changing even if you are unfortunate enough to be prosecuted.

I received this email after being caught by the transport police. I cooperated with them at the time and gave my details.

So, to be clear, the train company have your name and address? And they caught you in the act of fare evasion? You will need to respond to the email and in the response you should apologise and give an assurance that you have learned your lesson and won't be repeating the behaviour. You will then be able to ask if they will allow you to settle the matter out of court. They will look at you purchase history and look to recover the correct fares for any journeys other than the one where you were stopped, so you will have to calculate how much that might cost you. You will be looking at the total of the unpaid fares with an additional administration fee of around £150 on top.

 

[30907]

Suggest you look at posts by long-standing forum member Hadders who regularly suggests points to make in reply. You will need to tailor it to your situation.

 

[hswa2025]

Sad to say that, in the eyes of the railway and according to the law, you do appear to be a criminal. However, the offence is a minor one and is not likely to be life changing even if you are unfortunate enough to be prosecuted.

So, to be clear, the train company have your name and address? And they caught you in the act of fare evasion? You will need to respond to the email and in the response you should apologise and give an assurance that you have learned your lesson and won't be repeating the behaviour. You will then be able to ask if they will allow you to settle the matter out of court. They will look at you purchase history and look to recover the correct fares for any journeys other than the one where you were stopped, so you will have to calculate how much that might cost you. You will be looking at the total of the unpaid fares with an additional administration fee of around £150 on top.

If I am prosecuted, would this show on a DBS check?

In response to the blow points, yes they have my name and address. There were guards (I assume transport police but I can’t say for sure) standing by the gates who asked to scan the tickets before we went through the barriers. I was with two friends, one had a SWIFT pass and the other had done the same as me. We were separated and spoken to after they scanned our tickets. The lady that spoke to me questioned me about Duddeston station lay out and asked if I’d ever actually been. This is when I said no as I saw there was no point in lying as she already knew, and she asked me for me details which I gave. However, I can’t ever remember her actually telling me I was being cautioned or spoken to under caution, but I do remember my friend who did the same thing being told she was being cautioned.

Like I said, I know I am at fault and have not done it since but appreciate this won’t really make a difference for the past. I am just keen to settle this outside of court and avoid the criminal record.

Thanks for the help

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

Suggest you look at posts by long-standing forum member Hadders who regularly suggests points to make in reply. You will need to tailor it to your situation.

Thank you

 

[AlterEgo]

If I am prosecuted, would this show on a DBS check?

It depends under which law, but if it is a Bylaw conviction it would not normally show on a Basic or Standard check but may in some circumstances show on an Enhanced one.

In response to the blow points, yes they have my name and address. There were guards (I assume transport police but I can’t say for sure)

They would be revenue protection inspectors who work for the company.

 

[Hadders]

You should be able to keep this out of court as long as you co-operate with WMT and haven't come to their attention before. I suggest a short, concise reply that states:

- 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 and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

You will need to address the other instances of short fares that WMT suspect you of buying. I suggest you check your Trainline purchase history (normally best done via the website rather than the app as it holds a longer history) and include something like:

'I've checked my online ticket purchasing history and between xx/xx/xx and yy/yy/yy I believe I have failed to purchase the correct fare on zz occasions.

If WMT offer you an out of court settlement expect to have to pay the cost of all the fares avoided at the full Anytime rate, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, normally £175. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered, payment in installments isn't normally allowed.

If you post a copy of your draft reply in this thread forum members will proof read it for you

 

[hswa2025]

You should be able to keep this out of court as long as you co-operate with WMT and haven't come to their attention before. I suggest a short, concise reply that states:

- 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 and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

You will need to address the other instances of short fares that WMT suspect you of buying. I suggest you check your Trainline purchase history (normally best done via the website rather than the app as it holds a longer history) and include something like:

'I've checked my online ticket purchasing history and between xx/xx/xx and yy/yy/yy I believe I have failed to purchase the correct fare on zz occasions.

If WMT offer you an out of court settlement expect to have to pay the cost of all the fares avoided at the full Anytime rate, with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase. In addition they will charge an admin fee, normally £175. You will need to be in a position to pay the settlement in full within a few days of it being offered, payment in installments isn't normally allowed.

If you post a copy of your draft reply in this thread forum members will proof read it for you

I’ve just gone to check my Trainline history and turns out I don’t have an actual account - my ticket purchases have all been as a guest, so I can only access the tickets back to 2022. Will this be sufficient, as I assume they will be able to see the tickets purchased with my email address?

 

[Hadders]

I’ve just gone to check my Trainline history and turns out I don’t have an actual account - my ticket purchases have all been as a guest, so I can only access the tickets back to 2022. Will this be sufficient, as I assume they will be able to see the tickets purchased with my email address?

I think it will be fine to state the number of transactions since 2022.

 

[hswa2025]

This is my draft response, I would appreciate if someone could look over this for me.

—-

Dear Sir/Madam



With regards to your email received dated 25th June 2025 requesting further information/evidence in respect of alleged short journey fraud.



I do recall being asked questions regarding my ticket purchase by a revenue protector during my journey but to my recollection at no point had I been told I was being interviewed under caution. Please may I request evidence of being informed I was under caution. I suffer with depression and anxiety disorder and this can often lead to cognitive deficits including memory and attention.



That being said, at the time of the incident mentioned, I had failed to purchase the correct fare and deeply regret this choice. I understand the seriousness of rail fare evasion, how it affects West Midlands Trains and its customers and would like to take the opportunity to sincerely apologise for this and assure you I won’t be repeating these actions. I have purchased a SWIFT unlimited railcard to ensure this matter does not happen again.



After careful review of my actions, I have taken a look at my purchase history and believe I have failed to purchase the correct ticket 59 times between September 2022 and June 2025. I take full responsibility for these grave errors in judgement.



As you can appreciate, I wish to swiftly resolve this without the need of court action, and would be happy to pay the outstanding fare and any others found during the investigation. Please can you come back to me as soon as possible.



Many thanks

 

[Hadders]

I do recall being asked questions regarding my ticket purchase by a revenue protector during my journey but to my recollection at no point had I been told I was being interviewed under caution. Please may I request evidence of being informed I was under caution. I suffer with depression and anxiety disorder and this can often lead to cognitive deficits including memory and attention.

Take this out, if your after a settlement you need to be seen to be co-operating not being confrontational.

You ask if ishouldt would be possible to pay the outstanding fares rather than say you're happy to.

 

[hswa2025]

This is the response I received to my previous post. I am confused at the wording, only if I don’t provide the evidence will they settle out of court?

Any clarification and advice on response would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Adam Williams]

Has to be a typo, surely.

 

[hswa2025]

Has to be a typo, surely.

Well that’s what I thought as there’s a typo further up and I noticed in my original letter I received the punctuation was poor as well, but surely this is super unprofessional for them to not proof read?

 

[Adam Williams]

To be honest, it's not the first criticism the WMT "Digital Fraud Team" have received related to their literacy on this very forum.

 

[enyoueffsea]

I am confused at the wording, only if I don’t provide the evidence will they settle out of court?

In any other organisation, I’d say it’s definitely a typo. With WMT, they probably do actually mean this

As you are already down the track with them, supply the info they’ve asked and you’ll likely receive a settlement figure in your next email.

 

[hswa2025]

Hi all,
I wanted to post an update on this as no one seems to and wanted to perhaps calm others.

I am settling this matter at the cost calculated, however WMT has accepted my request to split this into 3 separate payments.

Being polite and cooperating with the team has definitely aided this, I believe. If anyone is interested, I can post the email where I requested the payment plan for others to use as a template.

 

[6Gman]

Thank you for that update - it's very helpful in providing advice in future cases.

Interesting, and unusual, for a payment plan to be offered.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi all,
I wanted to post an update on this as no one seems to and wanted to perhaps calm others.

I am settling this matter at the cost calculated, however WMT has accepted my request to split this into 3 separate payments.

Being polite and cooperating with the team has definitely aided this, I believe. If anyone is interested, I can post the email where I requested the payment plan for others to use as a template.

Yes, these are rare. Indeed it may help others to have your request if you are able to post it edited to make it 'generalised' as it were / or certainly not identifiable to you.

Even just doing it across 3 payments would help some people I suspect, as hopefully it has helped you.