'Be careful': TikToker warns of sophisticated London Tube scam that sees people pose as train workers
The TikToker told her followers to be "careful" about an alleged sophisticated scam on the London Underground.
Listen to this article
The user, @alikihewett, warned her followers to be "careful when you are travelling in London on the tube".
The TikToker went on to describe how "people are dressing up" as train workers and asking people to confirm they have paid their fares by tapping the card on a device carried by the 'staff'.
"They're asking people to show them their card and they're tapping [passengers' bank cards] on the devices and taking money".
She said this happened to her near the barrier and they "wouldn't let me pass to tap my card on the machine."
"I watched about seven people pay them with their cards unknowingly."
Read more: ‘We lost £5,000 in a rental fraud scam and now we’re facing homelessness’
Read more: Scots online shoppers warned over AI-fuelled Amazon Prime Day scams
The TikToker said while the money taken "wasn't a significant amount" - estimating it at around £40 to £60 each time - passengers should remain vigilant.
She warned her followers to be "wary" if these people "look a bit dodgy".
The TikToker also said the man she dealt with "grabbed my arm as I tried to leave when refusing to show him my card".
A TfL spokesperson said: “Revenue from fares is vital for investment in safe, clean and reliable public transport, which is why we take fare evasion extremely seriously.
"We have over 450 revenue inspectors across our whole network, who work to keep people safe and enforce the rules around travelling without a ticket. All ticket inspectors carry a badge and ID card and will show these when they approach a customer.
"People travelling on our network should have confidence that ticket inspectors approaching them are carrying out a legitimate role.
"While we have not received any reports of this incident, we take this extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who has experienced this to report it so that it can be investigated.”
Both London Underground, Revenue Control Inspectors (RCIs) and Bus, Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPIs) are issued with a badge with a unique number on it.
TfL advised that passengers can request to see an inspector’s badge and can be given the badge number for identification purposes.