This is the moment an Elizabeth line fare dodger was finally caught by investigators after racking up more than £2,200 in unpaid journeys in one year.

The man was tracked down at Whitechapel station after using an unauthorised bank card to get around the Transport for London (TfL) network for free.

The fraud team had difficulty finding the passenger because of his uneven travel pattern, given he used the station at different times each day.

They did however know he travelled to Tottenham Court Road, Southall and Swiss Cottage, and would often pass through Whitechapel in the evening.

A group of three investigators spent one night at the station without seeing the man, before spotting him on a second night while waiting in the cold for four hours.

The moment they intercepted him is shown in the first episode of a new series of ‘Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law’ which airs on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.

But the documentary also reveals later on that the passenger pleaded guilty at court, where he was fined only £40 plus £100 compensation and £100 costs. 

The programme explains how the man was using a card which is one of more than 10,000 frozen, stolen or blocked cards that are being tracked by TfL investigators.

They use a system called the Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (Itap), which checks ticket taps, travel times and digital footprints on Oyster and contactless cards.

The fare dodger (wearing brown jacket) is finally caught at Whitechapel station in east London

In this case, Itap prompts an investigation to be launched when it flags the passenger as having used the card for more than 12 months since the end of 2024.

While the time of travel varies with tap-outs made in the early morning, middle of the day and late at night, the stations used are found to be reasonably consistent.

This helps the team match CCTV images to when the card is used, and establish that he normally wears a black baseball cap or a beanie hat bearing a white logo.

TfL investigator Lisa notices that the man also dodges fares using a wide aisle gate – making it look like he taps on one, but then following in behind a paying passenger.

Wide-aisle gates, which were first installed at Tube stations in 2008, are normally used by wheelchair users, the elderly, parents with children and those with luggage.

But fare dodgers are often seen taking advantage of them by either pushing through the gap in the middle or quickly following someone in front who correctly touches in.

The investigators attempt to catch the man during a 90-minute window of 7.30pm to 9pm which Lisa has identified as the best time to try to stop him.

They have a few false alarms but fail to spot the man, therefore deciding to stand down. The team return another day and then, after a four-wait, they catch him.

The passenger is taken to one side after being intercepted by the team of three investigators

They order the man to ‘come to the side’ and take his card from him. One of them tells him: ‘You need to come with us, no, no, no, you need to come with us.’

He says: ‘I’m not going anywhere, my card is with you.’ A scan of the card confirms it is the one at the centre of their investigation, and they take him into a side room.

The team ask the man for identification and he initially refuses, saying he can only give his date of birth – but they continue to press him to show it to them.

The man then claims: ‘So my phone was stolen here in London. I reported it to the police. I can’t do anything. This is the phone that I borrowed from my friend.’

But Lisa then threatens to involve police, telling him: ‘OK, so I still need to see ID. And if we can’t see ID, then we need to call police and they will verify who you are.’

Lisa adds: ‘Do you have any idea why I was standing there waiting for you today?’ The man replies ‘no’. She then tells him: ‘So this is a very, very serious matter that we’ve stopped you for. That’s you?’ He confirms it is, and then shows her his ID.

The man says he does not have a job. Lisa adds: ‘So at this point I believe you’ve been committing an offence on the TfL network, so now I’m going to caution you.’

Lisa then goes through the evidence with the man dating back to December 7, 2024 – and anything he says from this point can be used against him in court.

She says: ‘Every time you used that card on the gate it tells me what gate it’s used on, what time, what day, Whitechapel, Tottenham Court Road, Southall, Swiss Cottage.

The team check the man’s card is the one they have been tracking, which is then confirmed

‘Denied exit, denied… They are all like that. As of yesterday, the current amount owed to TfL on that card for all the journeys that you haven’t paid for is £2,231.55.’

Lisa gets the man to confirm how to carry out a complete journey, which he says involves touching in and out on a reader using the same card at the start and end.

She asks: ‘When you’re coming in here to get on the train, what do you do?’ He replies: ‘Press the card and come inside.’ She asks: ‘Does the gate open?’ He says: ‘Yes.’

But Lisa tells him: ‘Careful now, because that’s not the only picture I have. Does the gate open?’ He then admits: ‘Sometimes it doesn’t work.’

And she says: ‘So that’s why you always go through the wide gate, because you’re following behind somebody. Do you agree that you were responsible for £2,231.55 of TfL fares where you’ve not correctly paid for your journey. I mean it was you, right?’

He agrees that he was responsible, and Lisa says ‘this matter will now be reported to Transport for London and you may be prosecuted.’

She adds: ‘Thank you for talking to me. I know it’s not a nice thing and I know it’s a bit of a shock.’

He tells her: ‘I know I did the wrong things but I don’t have the option or choice.’

As she leaves, Lisa tells her colleague: ‘I’m glad that one’s done because I couldn’t face standing here for another four hours freezing. I cannot wait to get home and put my electric blanket on.’

TfL inspector Lisa speaks to the man who admits that he has been avoiding paying for fares

It comes after TfL revealed in June that the number of passengers handed £100 penalty fares across the network had surged over the past year.

Penalty fares are £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days. Some 69,001 of them were issued in the year to March, up 9 per cent from the previous 12 months.

TfL claimed its ongoing crackdown on fare dodging had also seen a further 21,533 cases result in reports for possible prosecution, up 19 per cent year-on-year.

Around 400,000 journeys on a normal weekday are evaded across the network – which costs TfL an estimated £200million a year in income.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group estimates that at least £350million to £400million of annual fares revenue is lost to fraud and ticketless travel across the UK train network each year.

The Department for Transport said last month that new ticket barriers will be installed at railway stations across England in a crackdown on fare evasion.

A £33.4million investment will fund taller gates to prevent passengers jumping over them, and more standard waist-high gates.

‘Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law’ returns to Channel 5 tonight at 9pm