Tram stop ticket scam warning

SCAM: beware of “advice” to move away from the machine and leave your money behind

A TRANSPORT chief has warned passengers to look out for a potential tram scam at an Oldham town centre stop.

Peter Cushing, the Metrolink director at Transport for Greater Manchester, spoke out after a passenger revealed he tried to buy a ticket at Oldham Central when the machine didn’t refund the £10 he’d put in after an error.

As the passenger tried to work out what was wrong, another man asked him questions then suggested he used the help button at the end of the platform.

Instead the passenger investigated further and found the machine slot jammed with used tickets, preventing return of the money. The other man had by then walked off.

The anonymous passenger believes the incident was a deliberate scam: “The machine was trying to reject the money but it wasn’t coming out,” he said. “This man advised me to use the contact button at the end of the platform. When I realised the machine was blocked with tickets I removed them and got the £10.

“I’ve since heard this is regular occurrence at this stop.”

Mr Cushing urged people to contact them with information: “Tampering with ticket machines in a blatant attempt to steal from our customers is a criminal offence. We will prosecute,” he said.

“We are doing all we can to prevent further incidents but I’d urge customers to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviour.”