A commuter has revealed the "ridiculous" moment his “Big Brother” train company demanded a £541.40 fee after tracking his journeys for five years.
Jack Walters, 25, recently received an unaddressed email from Greater Anglia’s fraud department informing him that he was facing an investigation into "potentially fraudulent" activity after it was suggested he was "not paying full fares" on his travels.
Walters, who was first issued a money-saving 16-25 Railcard in 2018, was left shocked by the message but later feared it was a scam.
For the price of £30 a year, or £70 for three years, the £16-25 Railcard rewards eligible commuters with a 30 per cent concession on rail fares, which the 25-year old had in his possession throughout all his journeys.
The initial message read: "I am emailing from the Greater Anglia fraud department, we have been investigating industry data and have been led to believe you are potentially not paying full fares on Greater Anglia services.
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Commuter reveals ‘dystopian' moment train company demanded £540 after tracking his every move
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"There appear to be a number of incorrectly purchased tickets showing on your account that are a breach of our terms and conditions and considered fraudulent activity."
At the end of the first message, Greater Anglia told the commuter to respond within seven days in order to settle the case, attaching a letter to the email.
“I thought the emails I received, particularly given they were unnamed, stunk of a scam, leaving me frightened at the time and now down right frustrated. You can’t even contact them by phone if you want to," Walters said.
After calling Greater Anglia's customer service helpline, it was confirmed the email was in fact from the train company and he was given a number to call to prove his innocence.
Jack Walters outside Chelmsford Train StationGB NEWSWalters shared: "I tried several times but every single call went straight to voicemail. A few days later, I received another email from Greater Anglia’s fraud unit."
This correspondence requested a copy of his 16-25 saver Railcard to confirm his birthday and an explanation of his journeys, which Walters equated to the actions of an "Orwellian-style police force".
He informed the train company that his journeys have changed since moving back home and sent over a picture of his Railcard.
After four days, Greater Anglia told the 25-year old to send over pictures of Railcards used between January 2020 to November 2024; rejecting his pleas for a conversation over the phone to address his concerns.
"My blood was boiling," Walters said. "Who keeps an expired Railcard in their possession like it's a memento from yesteryear? I’m not a hoarder but I emptied my stash of documents in search for a pass issued in 2018." Walters was able to recover a photo of a "weathered" Railcard to send over to the company.
However, the evidence could not be sent over in the requested format which lead him call Greater Anglia again. "I even explained that I still have copies of two expired Railcards which cannot be shared in the format asked for and a photo of my Santander-authorised Railcard which expired in 2022," he explained.
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Shortly after, Walters was told by the firm that the case has been closed, despite Greater Anglia not having record of his discount cards, and to "disregard the settlement letter", which detailed the exact days and times of his commutes.
Determined to prove his innocence, he contacted National Rail who were able to quickly to find details of his initial Railcard purchase, as well as subsequent renewals over the years.
While relieved the debacle is over, Walters voiced his concern for how everyday commuters could be unfairly targeted by "Big Brother", stating: "What happens if you don’t have a copy of your almost decade-old Railcard? Are you expected to see the threatening email and just pay up? What if I had just bought paper tickets? Surely, I would have not been flagged as participating in “potentially fraudulent” activity."
A Greater Anglia spokesman told GB News: “Fare evasion costs the rail industry millions of pounds every year, and therefore Greater Anglia’s revenue protection officers use a system widely used within the industry to ensure those claiming a railcard discount do indeed hold a railcard. Mr Walters was requested to provide proof of a railcard and once this was verified, the case was immediately withdrawn."
