Blogger fined for advice on fare evasion

Encouraged subscribers to do the same

The woman’s account is full of videos about how to save money on commuter train fares. The enterprising British woman urged her subscribers to do the same, but made a mistake. The lady was caught and forced to pay a fine of £773.

“I never pay full price for a train trip, and I thought that since prices are rising, I would share my tips with you,” the British vlogger began her videos with these words.

Her tricks included sitting near the toilet “in case you have to hide from the ticket inspector” and buying a ticket for the cheapest stop rather than the actual destination. She also advised her followers to say that their phone was broken or that they were having “technical difficulties” in case a check came up.

“In general, if you are smart, there are several ways to beat the railroad company,” she argued.

But the railroad company beat her. A joint investigation between East Midlands Railway and British Transport Police led to the successful prosecution of the attacker under the Railway Regulation Act. “Lifehacker” received a fine of 773 pounds sterling (almost 89 thousand rubles) and a criminal record. Videos from her page became part of the evidence against her.

East Midlands Railway customer service director Dave Meredith said: “The vast majority of our customers always buy a ticket and understand that the railway needs to pay a fare to operate successfully, improve and secure investment. However, there are people who try to work with the system and look for different ways to evade payment. Our Revenue Protection, Anti-Fraud and Security teams work in both uniform and plainclothes to track and catch fare evaders, whether they are traveling without a ticket, have a part-trip ticket or fraudulently way they travel on a child’s ticket.”

British Transport Police detective Lisa Scott-Savage said: “We are extremely pleased with the outcome in this case, which highlights the cost of fare evasion – huge fines and convictions. It is the passengers who legitimately pay their fares who end up bearing the brunt of the costs of dishonest people who think they can get away without paying.”