Criminal gang scammed TfL out of £2million by offering adults fraudelent child Oyster cards
After almost five years of investigations and prosecutions, a criminal ring that used an elaborate set-up to scam an estimated £2million from Transport for London (TfL) has been dismantled. According to TfL's latest audit and assurance report, nine people have been successfully convicted for conspiracy to defraud the city's transport authority. The scammers offered people cheaper TfL fares they were not eligible for, by submitting fraudulent applications for child-rate Oyster cards. The cards tended to offer 50 per cent discounts on TfL services and free bus/tram travel as part of the 16+ Zip Oyster concessionary scheme. Over 60 social media accounts and pages advertised the scheme, which is believed to have started over five years ago - these have now been blocked or closed down. In August 2018, a London Underground employee alerted TfL to the scam, which was investigated by TfL's in-house fraud team, then referred to the British Transport Police (BTP) . Together...