A PENSIONER who never takes the tram and has a Freedom Pass was hit with a court summons for fare evasion after someone stole his identity.
Bert Thomas, 76, was stunned to receive a letter from Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court a fortnight ago asking him to explain why he had attempted to travel on the tram for free twice this year.
But Mr Thomas, of Charnwood Road, South Norwood, has not taken the tram since 2013 for a game of darts in New Addington and would be able to travel without charge on his Freedom Pass anyway.
The person who pretended to be Mr Thomas gave his correct address and name but provided a 1972 date of birth – making the identity thief 34 years younger.
Mr Thomas, who used to drive council buses for disabled children, said: "It must be someone who knows where I live and my name so it's probably someone I know. When I got the letter I thought 'oh my God, I don't even take the tram'. I sometimes get the bus, but that's free anyway. If I find out who it was, I'll have to get hold of them."
There could be a repeat offender in the area because Mr Thomas was told he tried to avoid paying for his fare twice – once in April and again in November.
To argue his case, Mr Thomas visited the Croydon Tramlink shop in George Street as well as Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court.
He said: "The tram people said there was nothing they could do, then I went up to the court to see them but I got fobbed off and told to come back on the date of the summons. It's a big inconvenience for me. I don't think I'll be fined and it will probably be OK but you would think they would have something in place to stop this. I've been made to feel like I've done something wrong when I was probably just sitting at home."
Despite his anger at the person who stole his identity, Mr Thomas initially believed the culprit may have been closer to home. "I thought at first it was probably my grandson in his 20s but I'm glad it's not."
A member of staff at Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court said it was up to the individual magistrate's discretion as to whether Mr Thomas should appear at the court or not to prove his identity.
She also said it was likely he would not be fined. Fare evasion can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a criminal record.
A TfL spokesman said the details the thief gave were likely to have matched Mr Thomas' details on the electoral roll, meaning it seemed fine to ticket inspectors when they ran checks.
They added there were hundreds of cases like this in London each year but that it was extremely unlikely Mr Thomas would face a fine.
