BBC finds fake rail tickets sold online
An investigation, carried out by the BBC, has revealed that forged rail tickets are being sold online and can be used without detection.
Using the virtual currency Bitcoin, the BBC claims to have purchased counterfeit tickets on the ‘dark web’, including a first class fare from Hastings to Manchester, and a monthly ticket between Gatwick and London. The fake first class ticket to Manchester was purchased for £111, instead of £285, while the monthly season ticket from Gatwick was sold to the BBC for £100 rather than the retail price of £308.
The fraudsters said they were offering ‘an affordable public service’, with the web-seller claiming that the magnetic strips would not work but rail staff would still let passengers through the barriers.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said that those who dodged rail fares ‘deprived the railway’ of about £200 million a year.
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