I think I just commited digital fraud.

[atlasblueeee3]

Hello,

I need your help. I am only 17 years old. Last May 2024, I rode the train with a valid ticket with a discount from a railcard that I did not have. I was not aware. I have a Monzo Debit Card that has my age registered in it. I read somewhere that it is equivalent to a railcard. It is not. I do not know why I believed that. I told the inspector that the railcard was at home. It isn't. They sent a letter last June 4 and we were only able to read it today. I panicked and told my parents that it was because I did not know how to use the travel pass I had. It was not that. It was a 16-18 zoom travel pass. I said that because I was scared that they would be mad at me for getting into trouble. My father sent them a letter explaining it in the way he knew. What he knew was a lie. After the incident, I immediately bought a railcard because I thought it would mitigate what I just had done. I searched and all of the lying I did was fraud. I work in healthcare and I do not want a criminal offense showing up in my DBS checks. So what I did is I emailed them confessing my dishonesty to the inspector and my mum and dad. I told them that I am willing to pay the fine. I apologize again and again. What do you think will happen because I am literally panicking at the moment and is scared of my future.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Jun 2024 ==

How much am I looking to pay? I am a first offender but I am so scared.

 

[ikcdab]

Hi there, please can you upload copies of any letters or emails you have received (with you name etc covered up) so that we can see exactly what is going on.
What happens next largely depends what rail company it is.
Upload the letters and you will get good advice.
However, in general terms, as you are only 17, I suspect this is unlikely to end up in court and the probability is that they will ask you to pay a settlement figure. If they do that, then it is not a criminal offence.

 

[atlasblueeee3]

This is the letter they sent to my parents and the reply of my dad.





== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Jun 2024 ==

This is the email I sent them confessing to what I did.

 

[Pushpit]

I also think it's unlikely to end up in court, though it will probably cause some raised eyebrows in Bradford when they read all of this. Don't worry too much, you've done the right thing, in the end at least, and you now need to wait for Northern to check this out. They will probably struggle with how to reply to this now, since they probably want to go via your parents. But I very much doubt that a court process will follow, and it's unlikely to end up on a DBS anyway, but even more so since there are "filtering" rules that apply on childhood offences so that only the more serious ones, far more serious than fare evasion, are included in the scope of DBS. Any employer who knows anything about DBS will also know all about what are known as protected offences.

And you write a better letter than your father by the way!

 

[atlasblueeee3]

I also think it's unlikely to end up in court, though it will probably cause some raised eyebrows in Bradford when they read all of this. Don't worry too much, you've done the right thing, in the end at least, and you now need to wait for Northern to check this out. They will probably struggle with how to reply to this now, since they probably want to go via your parents. But I very much doubt that a court process will follow, and it's unlikely to end up on a DBS anyway, but even more so since there are "filtering" rules that apply on childhood offences so that only the more serious ones, far more serious than fare evasion, are included in the scope of DBS. Any employer who knows anything about DBS will also know all about what are known as protected offences.

And you write a better letter than your father by the way!

I hope that is what will happen. I really panicked when the inspector asked for my railcard as I did not have any idea what to do because I just moved here to the UK last January. I really hope they'll offer a settlement fine for me to pay because I can pay for it since I work full-time. I just don't want criminal records. I have clean records in everything, even school guidance records, I don't want one stupid mistake trying to save up money to cost me my future.

Thanks for the compliment by the way. We're an immigrant family and my parents weren't able to finish school which, perchance, affected his ability to write better than most.

 

[ikcdab]

Ok. I don't think this will result in a prosecution. You may well get a penalty which you will have to pay straightaway. This is likely to be the anytime single fare plus about £150 admin fee. Cannot be 100% certain though.
You did the right thing in buying a Railcard after the event as this will help your case.
Make sure you learn the lesson and always have a valid ticket in future. Although you say in your opening post that you had a valid ticket, you did not because you didn't have the Railcard that would have gone with it. That makes it invalid.
Did you make sure that the case number was obvious in your email so that they can tie the paperwork up?
When you hear back from them, come back here if you need further advice.

 

[atlasblueeee3]

Ok. I don't think this will result in a prosecution. You may well get a penalty which you will have to pay straightaway. This is likely to be the anytime single fare plus about £150 admin fee. Cannot be 100% certain though.
You did the right thing in buying a Railcard after the event as this will help your case.
Make sure you learn the lesson and always have a valid ticket in future. Although you say in your opening post that you had a valid ticket, you did not because you didn't have the Railcard that would have gone with it. That makes it invalid.
Did you make sure that the case number was obvious in your email so that they can tie the paperwork up?
When you hear back from them, come back here if you need further advice.

Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense. Haha. Yes, I made sure to put the reference number in the subject section of the email. Will go back here in case I need further advice. Thanks!

 

[jamiearmley]

Hi

I can't quite work out from what you have written, but you seem to be implying you hold the South Yorkshire zoom 16 to 18 travel pass, and that you held this pass at the time of the incident.

If this is the case, I would recommend additionally taking a clear photo of the front and back of the pass and sending that in to Northern rail.

The South Yorkshire 16 to 18 zoom travel pass entitles you to a 50% discount on the adult fare for train journeys which take place wholly within the South Yorkshire zone.

You may find that the person who deals with your case is willing to accept evidence of a valid South Yorkshire zoom pass as enough evidence that you were entitled to a rail card discount even if it was not the railcard discount you selected.

It is in my opinion, definitely worth a go!

Good luck! I hope this works out for you.