Oyster card fraudster faces jail after swindling £24k with fake travel cards

Oyster card fraudster who swindled £24,000 by creating bogus travel cards using faces of elderly Turkish actors and politicians before selling them on is facing jail

  • Efecan Gokce, 20, from Hendon, London, sold fake Oyster cards via social media
  • Potential loss to TfL ranged from £647,000 to £2,500,000, Gokce taking £24k
  • Found to be using four social media accounts to advertise his fake Oyster cards

Efecan Gokce (pictured), 20, from Hendon, London, swindled £24,000 by making fake Oyster cards and selling them via social media

A travel card fraudster who swindled £24,000 by creating bogus Oyster cards using the faces of elderly Turkish actors and politicians is facing jail.

Efecan Gokce, 20, from Hendon, London, used a special algorithm to trick the TfL website into approving the applications and sold the fake cards via social media, Inner London Crown Court heard.

Helen Dawson, prosecuting, said the potential loss to TfL from the con ranged from £647,000 to £2,500,000 – although Gokce only banked about £24,000 in his personal account. 

Four separate social media accounts publicly advertising the bogus Oyster cards were shut down before he was traced through his real home address which was used on an application.

Some of the cards used photos of elderly Turkish actors and politicians. 

Last month Gokce admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between August 22, 2018 and the April 21, 2020.

Ms Dawson added: ‘Mr Gokce came to the attention of TFL on Twitter, advertising the sale of these services to obtain those discounted cards.

‘Typically the person would pay between £20-100 in exchange for the card with the photograph on, which would enable them to obtain discounted travel.

‘In terms of the method for obtaining the Oyster cards it’s not said that he obtained the method.

‘It’s the algorithm which satisfied the requirement on the TFL system which would verify the person’s age.’

Inner London Crown Court heard the fraudster now has just £436.92 in his bank account after he was caught selling fake Oyster cards on social media

Inner London Crown Court heard the fraudster now has just £436.92 in his bank account after he was caught selling fake Oyster cards on social media

Gokce, who now has just £436.92 in his bank account, spent his profits on everyday expenses including Netflix, the court heard.

Detective Constable Mark Pink said: ‘This was a pre-planned fraud whereby Gokce used Twitter to sell fraudulent concessionary Oyster cards with false photos and fake names.

‘Luckily it wasn’t difficult for us to identify Gokce through his Twitter account and arrest him at his home address.

‘After analysing his bank account we believe Gokce made over £28,000 from this shameful criminality, which results in significant revenue loss for Transport for London.

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The fraudster created fake Oyster cards, some of which were carrying photos of elderly Turkish actors and politicians

‘We have worked closely with TfL to bring Gokce to justice and I hope this serves as a strong reminder that this sort of criminality will absolutely not be tolerated.’

Gokce, of New Brent Street, Hendon, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

According to the charge he ‘conspired together with other persons to commit fraud by making false representations, made false representations to Transport for London which you knew might be untrue, namely your applications for discounted travel cards were of age which entitled them to use those travel cards’.

Gokce, of Hendon, admitted one count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and is awaiting sentence today.