Leeds fraudster claimed refunds on resold train tickets

LNER said King's fraud was uncovered with the help of new artificial intelligence (AI) software

A fraudster applied for refunds totalling thousands of pounds after selling on train tickets for other people to use.

Paul King, 35, from Leeds, bought and sold tickets worth more than £4,000, before claiming back £3,246 for tickets still used by others to travel.

He was caught after train company LNER began an investigation into his "suspicious" level of refund claims.

King was jailed for 22 months at York Crown Court after admitting the fraud.

LNER said King had bought tickets worth £4,468 between November 2021 and May 2022 and received refunds worth £4,242.

However, it said tickets totalling £3,246 were still used for travel despite having been cancelled.

The firm said staff at its Customer Contact Centre became suspicious of King's level of refunds and the elaborate reasons provided, such as repeated family illnesses.

King pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud and also admitted perverting the course of justice by providing a fake NHS letter claiming he was fit enough to carry out unpaid work in an effort to influence the judge's sentencing options.

Paul Larder, head of risk and assurance at LNER, said: "This case should be a warning to anyone thinking about defrauding the railway.

"This cheat was spotted by colleagues in our Customer Contact Centre, but on top of that we're also now using artificial intelligence to look for unusual patterns in our refunds.

"The defendant in this case was selling cheap tickets to fellow football fans - the clear advice is to only buy tickets from reputable outlets or direct from LNER."