Chinese students jailed after claiming more than £140k in compensation for ‘delayed train journeys’
The pair fraudulently claim compensation for journeys under the Delay Repay scheme
Two Chinese students have been jailed after claiming up to £140,000 in train refunds for 'delayed journeys' by exploiting a loophole.
Listen to this article
Li Liu, 26, and Wanqinq Yu, 25, reportedly discovered the loophole while sharing a student flat in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Passengers are able to claim compensation on delayed journeys under the Delay Repay scheme.
Lu and Yiu figured out there were no automatic cross-checks to determine whether customers already received their refunded ticket.
They would initially claim refunds for train journeys but then say they no longer intended to travel.
Read more: Teen who murdered schoolboy Harvey Willgoose with hunting knife jailed for at least 16 years
Read more: 'Utter shambles': New MPs slam train services as they face disruption during journeys to London
The pair were then able to claim extra money by applying for Delay Repay compensation on the same journeys if the trains were delayed, Leeds Crown Court heard.
It emerged Liu illegally acquired £141,031, and Yu had received £15,712 following their arrests.
They had both been held on remand and since their arrest and admitted charges of conspiracy to defraud and possession of criminal property.
Liu was slapped with a 30-month jail sentence, while Yu was jailed for 17 weeks.