hi goodatresearch, Just a quick question: my name is for example 'Manuel Antonio Rxxxxxxez' but they addressed to 'Tony Rxxxxxxez' which is my email and social media alias although they got the right address (I kind of guess who could the perpetrator be but that's a different story) but I strongly doubt they would have any other evidence/info i.e. correct signature or dob and not sure how they checked with the electoral register for ID verification as there's been no such person at least for the last 10+ years - how all these could be used against me if a prosecution follows as it seems from one of the posters that the court is on the prosecutor's SIDE?

It's not my real name - I just mentioned to give an idea.

Thank you. I am seeing a lawyer tomorrow, see what he says then weigh all the options and proceed with the best course of action for me. I may need your advice anyway at some point. Regards.

Thanks. I have been in contact with a criminal lawyer, will see him tomorrow but your opinion has put things into perspective in the meantime and if I conclude, I have only two choices - either I send them the evidences they asked for or face the possibility of a successful prosecution by TOC. I am a busy person and my job requires me to have a clean DBS so whether I was involved or not, I have to comply with them so it's not really worth the hassle of resisting: either send evidence or pay or wait for prosecution! Last question(s) to you - it seems you know them well so how could I be sure that my personal data will not be misused? Can I/how could I ask them to provide me any information/evidence they have about the alleged person for my record in return?? By the way, my actual name is say 'Manuel Antonio Mxxx' but they addressed to 'Tony Rxxx' which is my email and social media alias although they got the right address (I kind of guess who could the perpetrator be but that's a different story) but I strongly doubt they would have any other evidence/info i.e. correct signature or dob and not sure how they checked with the electoral register for ID verification as there's been no such person at least for the last 10+ years - how all these could be used against me if a prosecution follows?? Appreciate your advice and time.

I heard exactly the same story from others after this incident. If they fail to get the right ID of the alleged person, which seems quite likely in this case, they simply try to frame whoever is responding to them even if by acquiring the copy of the responder's ID! I don't even live in London and I didn't even know who IRCAS was until recently so I have a good reason not to believe them, was at home. As I said, I have already reported this to the police and gave them the crime ref number that they can use for their investigation. Anyway, thanks all for your advice and time.

If the alleged person didn't/refused to pay the fare, they would have called the police as that's a crime but I'm guessing (could be wrong) s/he paid the fare but refused to pay the penalty and that's why it came to the civil process/IRCAS handling the matter. I have asked them to provide me with any information/evidence they have. If they do that would be useful for me and yes I hope the matter resolves before appearing in court. See what response I get, will speak to someone I know at my local cab anyway. I am prepare to defend myself. Thanks.

I have asked them politely to provide any information they have so I could update my crime report and waiting for their response. I even provided the crime ref number to them so they can liaison with police if they are willing to do so. I have no prob to collaborate but I DO NOT TRUST THEM. I did some research about IRCAS after emailing them, they do deal with debt collectors and I have seen how people have been vindicated by DCAs wrongly and fully aware of their unethical business practice (no need to go into details) and that's when I got more suspicious about them. thanks.

hb - you are jumping into a conclusion! I appreciate people are giving advice in good heart (I believe) however whether I like/take the advice or not that's absolute my personal choice. This is a civil process, bailiff will occur if this goes to the court and court will give verdict in their favour and to do that they have to bring the perpetrator's identity and match against the suspect - court fine for civil process is £80 + bailiff £250 = you can do the math whether it's worth for them! This is a police matter now, I have issues disclosing my personal details rather do this in the court if I have to and will surely sue them for wasting my time and counter-claim will follow. I think I have made my points clear! I will speak to someone I know at my local cab. Thanks.

make sense, will see!

I have already reported this to the police and rather them dealing with this than disclosing my personal details to someone acting on behalf of a train operator. I have asked IRCAS to provide me any relevant details they have collected about the alleged person so I could update my crime report and notify the law enforcement agency. I am wondering why the revenue collector/inspector did not call the police on the spot if the alleged person committed a crime by not paying a fare or did s/he paid the fare but refused to pay the fine which is £105 ! There are numerous stories online/news about the train companies paid so called independent bodies i.e. IRCAS are doing. They came in contact with the person so the onus is onto them to prove the identity of the guilty.

I have drafted an email response for them, any advice is much appreciated. Thanks "I have already explained to you that I have nothing to do regarding the matter you have communicated with myself yet you have ignored my request. As I have mentioned, this has been reported to the police crime ref. NFRCxxxxxxxxxxxx. You mentioned that your Authorised Collector issues tickets by verifying the electoral roll and as there's no law to carry identification so they try to collect as much information as possible that mean that you do not have the correct satisfactory details about the alleged person and simply acting on what information was provided to the collector fraudulently? If that was true, why are you asking for my personal details and to check with what? May I remind you that under 'Section 21 (3) of the Theft Act 1968' it is an offence to make unwarranted demands with menace with the view to make gain or cause loss with a maximum sentence of up to 14 years imprisonment! Your demand is completely baseless, unreasonable and unacceptable as you are acting on inaccurate and fraudulent information therefore, I refuse to provide my personal details as this matter has nothing to do with me. I am asking you again to REMOVE THE ADDRESSEE AND THE ADDRESS FROM THE ALLEGED PENALTY NOTICE! I am giving you a 7 days notice to respond to my request."

Thanks in advance for any expert help. I received a letter from a company called IRCAS apparently acting on behalf of London Overground demanding £105 penalty fare that I don't have any clue about. I have contacted them and emailed to IRCAS (Independent Transport Associations Company) as advised by one of the staffs when I rang them. I told them that this must be an act of fraud and informed that I have reported this to action fraud. Then I had a follow-up email from them asking confirmation of my DOB, proof of my signature with copy of my driving license or passport or debit card's reverse side and a brief description of myself about HOW DO I LOOK LIKE! I was going to send a harsh response as I am very angry but thought to get some expert help first on how to deal with this ******? any help/advice is much appreciated. I have copied the response from them: "Thank you for your advice concerning the above referenced Penalty Fare/Unpaid Fare Notice and your kind notification of the use of 'false' details in this instance. This office acts in an administrative capacity for various rail and Transport for London services, and as such, we will produce reminder letters on their behalf where a Penalty Fare/Unpaid Fare Notice balance remains outstanding. Having failed to produce on demand a valid ticket, a notice was issued to a passenger by an Authorised Collector on the date concerned. Unfortunately, it is not law in this country to carry identification. Therefore, Authorised Collectors issuing notices often check an electoral roll system to help establish that correct address details are being collected. However, without identification it is impossible for them to be completely satisfied that the correct name is being taken or indeed, that the person is who they actually claim to be. Therefore, we try to capture as much accurate information about an individual as we can. This enables us to compare it against the information taken at the time of issue but also, importantly, it means that we can help Authorised Collectors to ask the right questions and get the correct information should they stop someone again in the future who gives details that have previously been proven to be false. In order to assist with this please provide the following information: 1. Confirmation of your date of birth. 2. Please provide a copy of a document with your signature on, such as a driving licence, passport or a copy of the reverse of a debit/credit card. 3. Please provide a brief description of yourself, including height, build, hair colour and length, complexion, eye colour, right or left handed and any distinguishing features such as tattoos or piercings. Upon receipt of this information we can update our database accordingly. We thank you in anticipation for providing this information, and therefore, helping us to provide accurate information to the transport providers which, in turn, may help prevent further misuse of personal details. We will hold the above mentioned Penalty Fare/Unpaid Fare Notice for 7 days from the date of this correspondence to await your response."