Caught for fare invasion of fraud railcard

[vishy0505]

Hi everyone,

I’m posting here because I’m feeling very anxious and could really use some advice after a recent incident with Northern Rail. I was stopped by a ticket inspector at Preston station after returning from Horwich Parkway. I had a discounted ticket using a 16–25 Railcard, but the railcard I showed was actually a screenshot of my brother’s. I admitted straight away that it wasn’t mine and also that I’d boarded an earlier train than I was booked on. The officer took my details, photographed the ticket and railcard, and issued a Travel Incident Report. I was told I’d receive a letter from Northern Rail asking for a written response.


After reviewing my travel history, I realised I’d made a bigger mistake than I initially thought. Since February (when my own 26–30 Railcard expired), I booked 12 discounted tickets:

2 were under my expired 26–30 Railcard,

• 10 were using the 16–25 Railcard,
  • 3 were genuinely for my brother (who has a valid 16–25 Railcard),
  • The remaining 7 tickets were used by me, mostly travelling between Preston and Horwich Parkway, which I now realise I shouldn’t have done.

At the time, I didn’t realise the full consequences of what I was doing. I wasn’t trying to deliberately commit fraud, but I now fully understand that what I did was wrong and dishonest. I take full responsibility, and I feel genuinely ashamed and upset about it.

I’m a recent graduate currently looking for a job, and I’m really worried that this could affect my future. A criminal conviction could seriously impact my chances of getting employment, especially in roles that require background checks or professional integrity. I’ve never been in trouble before and this whole experience has been a massive wake-up call.

Since the incident, I’ve renewed my own railcard and I’m doing everything I can to make this right. I’m hoping Northern Rail will allow me to settle this out of court, and I’m fully prepared to pay for any unpaid fares and admin costs.

Has anyone been through something similar or have any advice on how best to respond to Northern’s letter when it comes? Any help or reassurance would mean a lot right now.





Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[30907]

Northern are likely to settle if you engage with them, even though your behaviour was blatantly fraudulent. They want their money back, their admin costs covered, and by hitting your pocket to make sure you stop cheating them.

There's not much you can do for now except make sure you have your own Re Ord of the incident when you were caught cheating, and of previous cases (especially the ones where you were not guilty!).

 

[vishy0505]

Thanks for the honest advice. I really appreciate it. I know I messed up and I’m keeping records of everything so I can be upfront with Northern. Hoping I’ll get the chance to settle it and make things right.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks for the honest advice. I really appreciate it. I know I messed up and I’m keeping records of everything so I can be upfront with Northern. Hoping I’ll get the chance to settle it and make things right.

I think you will have every reasonable chance to settle this out of court

Did you give a correct postal address and contact details? The key thing is to get their letter and then get help from here on how to best respond to it to achieve an out of court settlement.

You are right to now be treating this as seriously as you are doing.

 

[vishy0505]

I think you will have every reasonable chance to settle this out of court

Did you give a correct postal address and contact details? The key thing is to get their letter and then get help from here on how to best respond to it to achieve an out of court settlement.

You are right to now be treating this as seriously as you are doing.

Thanks a lot . that really helps to hear. Yes, I gave my correct address and ID at the time, so I’m just waiting for the letter now. I’ll definitely come back here for help once it arrives. Appreciate the reassurance.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks a lot . that really helps to hear. Yes, I gave my correct address and ID at the time, so I’m just waiting for the letter now. I’ll definitely come back here for help once it arrives. Appreciate the reassurance.

In the meantime peruse a few other threads to get the idea of things. Try to find ones involving northern to look over.

 

[vishy0505]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. I’ve been going through this forum and reading through other threads, especially ones involving Northern, to understand how to approach things. I’ll definitely post here again once I get the letter. Thanks again for the support.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

You're in a spot of bother here. Northern are entitled to prosecute you if they want to but as long as you co-operate with them you should be able to sort it out without having to go to court.

It'll probably take several weeks for Northern's letter to arrive but when it does, post a redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you.

If you are offered a 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 you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150. 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. Given the number of journeys involved this is likely to be expensive and so if money is tihght think about how you will raise the amount required.

 

[vishy0505]

Welcome to the forum!

You're in a spot of bother here. Northern are entitled to prosecute you if they want to but as long as you co-operate with them you should be able to sort it out without having to go to court.

It'll probably take several weeks for Northern's letter to arrive but when it does, post a redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you.

If you are offered a 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 you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150. 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. Given the number of journeys involved this is likely to be expensive and so if money is tihght think about how you will raise the amount

Thanks for the advice and welcome. I’ll share the letter and my reply here when I get it. I’ll get ready in case I need to pay a settlement. Thanks again!