Trainline App fraud

Emmia

PaulDesmond said:

inthedepthsofthesea

Tick this box if you want marketing. This should be ticked automatically now but I was signed up and was charged. This was on different phones.

Emmia

Wrong. I was told to make a £0 payment and was scammed that very same day. Coincidence????

If you want to use an app, then the train companies have them without additional fees. 

If you are traveling long distance cross country involving different regions, which train company do you use. I live in North Yorkshire York area. Who should I use.

How did the OP find the app?

Found through googlePlay

You can use the GWR or the LNER app to book those tickets, the apps sell tickets for all train operating companies, anywhere in the country. 

I've just tried a York - Leeds journey in the GWR app, and it gives me this.

elsien

I use the National Rail app or website to plan the journey and that then directs you to the relevant place to buy the tickets. 

Pollycat

PaulDesmond said:

If there is a better group to put this then please move it.

Back in march I was in hospital recovering and another patient told me that I could pay for the train service using the trainline app. I downloaded it and I had to enter my bank details. I am taken to a page that tells me that they need to verify my bank details and informed me that a transaction of £0.00 will take place and I WILL NOT BE CHARGED FOR THIS. 

A few days later when at home, I got a transaction of £29.99 to a company called myhelpshop.com. It appears that I had subscribed to. On their website I see. . .

Trust our exceptional customer support

Select us as your reliable partner in advancing customer service. Our commitment to quality ensures superior assistance and builds lasting relationships. This was reported to my bank and I got reimbursed for it. 

Last week I needed to book a train but I had a new mobile phone. I had to download the trainline app. Again, I am told that my card had to be validated and no money will be taken out of my bank account. It seems that I have subscribed to an artificial intelligence company called vipcatalog.pro. I am 68 years of age and do not understand artificial intelligence. This is fraud and it is linked to trainline and their trainline app.

Anyone else found themselves subscribed to anything after downloading the trainline app.

I have booked tickets through the app so the app is genuine.

 

Have you cancelled both subscriptions?

MyRealNameToo

TadleyBaggie said:

You can't install apps on an iPhone from anywhere else but the official Apple App Store, unless the device has been jailbroken.

Or its registered in Europe



Haven't used the trainline personally in many years however I do know other well known apps have done the transaction for a purchase on their app/site and then afterwards shown an add for a third party, often offering cash back of equal to or more than you just spent. Inevitably if you click through its an offer of some subscription with a short trial period and then monthly fees. 

It makes no logical sense why the trainline would be doing a zero charge transaction for purchasing tickets so wonder what the actual full flow was and if they have started doing adverts after the purchase is complete in which case the big red flag should be re-entering card details having already paid. 

PaulDesmond

If this trainline app were a scam app?, how would I know? If I went to a scam website like a bank. I would be able to check the URL. If it contained zeros and ones instead of os and Ls. or a Z instead of an S. I could see that. However. when you go to ggogle play and type in trainline app which I did (Attached), how would I know? There is noway of checking it out like you would do with a URL. This is the app that got me to bverify my bank account by taking £0.00 from my bank account, and going on to subscribe me to an AI company for £29.99 per month.


I have found https://www.buytickets.northernrailway.co.uk/ which covers my area and is on a proper website not a mobile app and does have comparable prices. But the isue is still how can you trust an app even if it comes from GooglePlay and can you even compalin to google if there is a scam?

Thanks.

onomatopoeia99

I recall the trainline app giving the option post-purchase to get some sort of discount / cashback, but to get it you have to sign up to an expensive monthly subscription service - did this happen and did you subscribe?

For simply buying tickets you do not need a bank account, the purchase can be made on a credit card / google pay.

PaulDesmond

No I did not subscribe. I was forced to verify my bank details.  was told that  would be charged £0.00. No money will be taken out of my bank account. I was not asked to sign up to any subscription only to use some internet to verify my bank account as genuine.
For simply buying tickets you do not need a bank account, the purchase can be made on a credit card / google pay.
Yes but he credit card would be used to verify and I would be subscribed on my credit card. I did not see a pay by google pay as an option. I was asked for my bank details.

But how can you trust an app?

born_again

onomatopoeia99 said:

I recall the trainline app giving the option post-purchase to get some sort of discount / cashback, but to get it you have to sign up to an expensive monthly subscription service - did this happen and did you subscribe?

For simply buying tickets you do not need a bank account, the purchase can be made on a credit card / google pay.

Trainline was one that had shoppers discount and rewards link. Which offered cashback on your next purchase. No need to provide any details. You just clicked on the link & job was done. Retailer passed details over, as you had agreed to. You also got emails about this & a reminder before they took funds. Although might go to spam/junk folder. Which is why you always need to check them.

elsien

I’ve just downloaded the app. It has 353K reviews and a high star rating which would seem to imply it is trustworthy

I said no to cookies and no to being  contacted by their 117 partners. I did not create an account. I did a dummy booking and at no point what I asked for my bank details other than when I came to pay when I could choose to pay through Apple Pay or PayPal instead.

I honestly do think at some point you have ticked apart in a box without realising. these sites do make money from advertising and upselling as well. in the same way that if you buy something from a website you might get a pop-up offering you discounts which then turns into a subscription if you haven’t scrutinise the small print. 

user1977

Are you sure that all that happened was you going to Google Play and downloading the official app? And not being distracted by an advert in the process and heading somewhere similar-looking instead?