Scamming Dutch public transport with OVpay? It’s more possible than you think, experts say

Is there a way to get out of paying for public transportation? Yes. Is it worth the risk that comes with the scam? That’s for you to decide. 🚆

OVpay, a new system where you check in with your smartphone, can easily be cheated. How, you ask? By using an app to make disposable digital cards. RTL Nieuws tested this out and proved that it is indeed true.

A free ticket to ride

When OVpay is used to travel, transport costs are only debited at the end of the day. If a physical card is used and payments do not go through at night, then the card is blocked. 

READ MORE | A guide to night buses and night trains in the Netherlands

A free mobile application allows disposable digital cards to be deleted before the payments have to be made. The digital card then doesn’t exist anymore, which means it can’t be blocked by OVpay when the payment is unsuccessful. Helaas pindakaas!

These travellers could then make a new disposable card for every trip, and continue riding for free.

Will scammers get caught by conductors? The answer is nee. If train conductors check, it only shows that the traveller has checked in and where. 

This means that they have a valid ticket — or so the conductors think. 👀

The move to OVpay

Transport companies have invested €100 million for OVpay to replace the ov-chipkaart (public transport chip card). OVpay allows travellers to check in with a bank card or a smartphone. 

Whilst Translink knows about disposable digital cards being used to abuse OVpay, they aren’t doing anything to stop it. 

“Fortunately, most travellers are in good faith,” Translink tells RTL Nieuws, “but we are not naive and, as with all other payment systems and industries, there are, unfortunately, attempts at fraud.”

Warning to scammers

Translink and the Betaalvereniging (Payments Association), which represents the banks, warn that scammers could face consequences. 

“Ultimately, the damage will still be recovered from those cardholders,” the organisations write. “They can be banned for a long time by banks from most of their services.”

READ MORE | 7 ways you can level up your Dutch life with a personal OV chip card

If many travellers start abusing the service with the use of one particular bank, payments with cards of that bank could be blocked for OVpay. 

The result? Any travellers with physical or digital cards from that bank won’t be able to travel with their bank cards. Niet leuk! 😱

What do you think of people using OVpay to scam Dutch public transport? Tell us in the comments!