Delay repay letter - Claimed delay repay when not entitled + refunded used tickets

[redditrailforu]

Hello, I have gotten a email saying they want information about certain trains I've put claims in over the past two years and asking why multiple accounts have had money go to my account. I am not sure what to reply, some of the claims I filled in for friends but some of them I claimed I was delayed to get money back on long journeys. Is there a way to pay back the money or will I be arrested?

 

[30907]

Hello, I have gotten a email saying they want information about certain trains I've put claims in over the past two years and asking why multiple accounts have had money go to my account. I am not sure what to reply, some of the claims I filled in for friends but some of them I claimed I was delayed to get money back on long journeys. Is there a way to pay back the money or will I be arrested?

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If I understand you correctly, you have
(1) given your account details for claims where someone else travelled, so you were not entitled to the money (even if they were). You may be in difficulty if you cannot explain why you gave your details AND prove what happened to the money after you received it.
(2) made claims for "long journeys" you haven't actually made. Again, that is illegal.
(If you actually made those delayed journeys that's fine, of course and you needn't worry - please could you clarify?)

You could help us by saying which train operator has contacted you, which particular stations are involved, and posting a photo of the letter with your personal details covered up (redacted).

It is possible that you might be charged with an offence (not "arrested") and taken to court, so you might need to get legal advice, but we don't have enough to go on at the moment.

 

[redditrailforu]

If I understand you correctly, you have
(1) given your account details for claims where someone else travelled, so you were not entitled to the money (even if they were). You may be in difficulty if you cannot explain why you gave your details AND prove what happened to the money after you received it.
(2) made claims for "long journeys" you haven't actually made. Again, that is illegal.

1 I gave the other person details with some differences but used my cars. They said I could keep the money
2 some of them I did make but others I said I was delayed, I was using tickets they forgot to scan so sometimes I refunded aswell

 

[Puffing Devil]

So many red flags on this - you're heading towards a fraud charge.

I would be heading for professional legal advice, not an internet forum if I were in your position.

 

[stew]

My local TOC (LNER) allows you to claim other passengers’ delay repay but my understanding that’s where you made the journey too. And the journey taken was legitimate of course
LNER - claim for others

 

[AlterEgo]

Hello, I have gotten a email saying they want information about certain trains I've put claims in over the past two years and asking why multiple accounts have had money go to my account. I am not sure what to reply, some of the claims I filled in for friends but some of them I claimed I was delayed to get money back on long journeys. Is there a way to pay back the money or will I be arrested?

Get a solicitor and don’t take legal advice about this from the internet. You are potentially in serious trouble. Fraud is a serious crime even when it involves small amounts.

Make no comment and do not reply to their email if and until you secure professional legal advice.

 

[Adam Williams]

2 some of them I did make but others I said I was delayed, I was using tickets they forgot to scan so sometimes I refunded aswell

"Double dipping" by claiming delay repay and an unused (or abandoned) journey refund (when the ticket was used) from the retailer in this way is often blatantly visible to the retailer and/or train operator (depending on who gets there first) and is not a smart thing to do. I think there is a reasonable risk of this being uncovered now that your activity has received more scrutiny and it might be a useful exercise to try and work out how many times you have done this for your own notes.

 

[Gloster]

I will add my voice to those saying that you should seek the advice of a solicitor. Based on what you have written, I am of the opinion that this is of a level and nature beyond what this forum can normally advise on, and that the consequences could be very serious for you. (Even as a non-expert this seems plain to me.)

 

[furlong]

Professional legal advice would of course be the best idea. However, prosecuting these sorts of crimes is still relatively new and very time-consuming for the train companies and transport police, so what we've seen anecdotally so far is that people who co-operated with them did get the chance to repay the money (plus investigation costs etc.), leaving them to focus their prosecution efforts on people who don't.

 

[ChewChewTrain]

I’m half-serious when I say that schools should perhaps do less pissing about teaching kids things they’ll never use, and more requiring them to read and appreciate forums like these. One lesson these threads teach us in no uncertain terms is that just because you appear to have got away with something once or even a dozen times, it doesn’t mean it’s anything but an extremely bad idea to keep doing it.

 

[yorkie]

Hello, I have gotten a email saying they want information about certain trains I've put claims in over the past two years and asking why multiple accounts have had money go to my account. I am not sure what to reply, some of the claims I filled in for friends but some of them I claimed I was delayed to get money back on long journeys. Is there a way to pay back the money or will I be arrested?

I cannot personally advise a solicitor for you; you may want to seek a solicor local to you but I do know the following company (based in Watford, so potentially not far depending on your part of London) has a good track record and has been recommended to me by other forum members. I have no connection with the company and have had no dealings with them myself.

Fare Evasion - Penman Sedgwick

penmansedgwick.com

I don't think we can advise further on this forum however if you have an update in your case, please report this post using the report button. It would be particularly useful if you can update us when the case has concluded.