Train fare dodgers beware: cyber detectives in the North are tracking you down

The UK's second largest rail operator Northern secured 14,000 convictions in 2022/23 thanks to the introduction of its Digital Fraud Squad. And with two in every three tickets now being accessed via digital platforms, the company has revealed more and more fraudsters are getting caught.

Northern says "modern-day" fare dodgers, who either fraudulently attempt to claim back fares after travelling by train, only buy tickets for part of their journey, or for those stations with ticket gatelines in place, are at greater risk of being tracked down via their online data. Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “The old-school fare evader still exists, but there’s a new generation who try to outsmart the system through a complex process of fraudulent refund requests, delay repay claims and a process known as ‘short faring’.

“What these individuals might not realise is that, as with any electronic transaction, our systems are able to identify suspicious activity and bring it to the attention of our specialist investigators.”

Northern says that with 67 per cent of tickets booked online, their Digital Fraud Investigations Team is able to look into the circumstances of attempted fare evasion in much more detail.

The team was established in 2021 in response to the surge in digital ticketing post-pandemic. It forms part of Northern’s Debt Recovery and Prosecutions Unit which, in the 2022/23 financial year, investigated 108,681 reports of attempted fare evasion. More than 53,000 Penalty Fare Notices were issued, the unit attended 301 court sittings, helped secure 14,072 convictions and recouped almost £2.9m of lost revenue. Members of the Digital Fraud Investigations Team have backgrounds in the legal profession and statistical analysis

Powles added: “Once our investigators are on the case, they can review all ticket transactions by that individual over several years and build a case if they believe there is a pattern of criminal behaviour. One fraudulent claim today might uncover a backlog of similar activity that our team will pursue. Our message to those people is ‘quit while you’re ahead’.”

Northern has invested in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the country, making it easier than ever to buy a ticket via their app, website or one of more than 600 ticket machines across the network. Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England. Fare dodgers – people travelling without a valid ticket – are responsible for an estimated £240 million in losses on British railways each year.

In December Northern announced it was implementing a new device at train stations it says are “known hotspots” across its network, that will hopefully put a stop to those travelling without a valid ticket. It is installed at train station barriers to automatically detect whether a ticket is valid or not and alert staff. The system was trialled at Manchester Victoria station for one day and caught 180 fare dodgers. In January the fine for travelling without a valid ticket increased from £20 to £100.