Tiktoker who ran account advising train passengers how to dodge fares is fined £773 after her social media videos were used to prove case against her

• Customers who travel on EMR without a valid ticket can be fined £100 

A TikToker who posted tips online on how to cheat train fares has been caught and fined. 

The woman shared numerous videos on her social media account boasting about how she avoided paying and urged her followers to do the same.

‘I never ever ever pay full price for a train journey and I thought that with the prices going up I would share my tips with you,’ she said in a video. 

Her tricks included sitting near the toilet ‘incase you need to hide from a ticket inspector’ and buying a ticket for the cheapest stop rather than your actual destination. 

She also advised her followers  to say their phone had died or that they are having ‘technical difficulties’. 

The woman shared numerous videos on her social media account boasting about how she avoided paying and urged her followers to do the same

‘Overall if you get smart with it there are a couple of ways you can beat the train company,’ she claims.  

But she didn’t get away with it – and has received a £773 fine and a criminal record.

East Midlands Railway told MailOnline the videos were part of the evidence against her. 

This was after a collaborative investigation between East Midlands Railway and the British Transport Police lead to the successful prosecution of the fare evader under Regulation of Railways Act. 

Dave Meredith, Customer Services Director at East Midlands Railway, said: ‘The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket, and they understand that for the railway to successfully operate, improve, and secure investment, fares need to be paid for.

‘However, there are some people who try and work the system and look for different ways to evade paying.

She advised passengers to buy tickets for the first – or cheapest – stop and then just carry on with their journey

‘Our revenue protection, fraud and security teams work both in uniform and plain clothes in order to monitor and catch fare evaders, whether they are travelling without a ticket, have a ticket for part of their journey or fraudulently travelling on a child’s ticket.

‘The impact of fare evasion is felt by our law-abiding fare paying customers and ultimately the taxpayer. It’s indefensible for certain individuals to believe they’re exempt from paying for our services, and as these cases show, our teams are across our network looking for people who think its ok to break the law.’

PC Lisa Scott-Savage, Investigating Officer for the British Transport Police, said: ‘We’re extremely pleased with the result in this case, which highlights the price of evading fares – hefty fines and a criminal record.

‘It is the legitimate fare paying passengers who end up bearing the brunt of the cost of the dishonest people who think they can get away without paying.’

Customers who travel on East Midlands Railway without a valid ticket can be fined £100 on top of the price of a single ticket. 

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