"Mtixit" - fishy-looking ticket retailing site. Recommend avoiding!

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

Just to put this out there, a website called Mtixit.co.uk has popped up that claims to be offering implausibly cheap tickets to your mobile for travel on Virgin Trains between Euston and Manchester.

Opinion on Twitter is very much that this is a scam: haven't seen anything official from VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) confirming this but it certainly looks rather too good to be true...

[EBrown]

Just to put this out there, a website called Mtixit.co.uk has popped up that claims to be offering implausibly cheap tickets to your mobile for travel on Virgin Trains between Euston and Manchester.

Opinion on Twitter is very much that this is a scam: haven't seen anything official from VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) confirming this but it certainly looks rather too good to be true...

I've done some snooping. There is a lot wrong with that website. I have no doubt this is not legitimate.

[inspector_blakey]

To follow up, although this didn't come from the official VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) account, a Twitter user saying he's a member of VT staff has tweeted that the website is a scam and action is bring taken by VT.

I'd steer clear if I were you!

[EBrown]

Right, think I've got to the bottom of this. I've found that the e-tickets that are downloaded are clearly fake (On a side note, their security if very bad)

Shortly I should have a name for the website owner.


Edit: Fake information provided on it's affiliate program.

[inspector_blakey]

Impressive work: just in case you were thinking of doing so, to err on the side of caution I'd be grateful if you didn't publish any names that you find out on this website! However there is of course no reason why you couldn't report them through official channels like Trading Standards or ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here).

[EBrown]

Impressive work: just in case you were thinking of doing so, to err on the side of caution I'd be grateful if you didn't publish any names that you find out on this website! However there is of course no reason why you couldn't report them through official channels like Trading Standards or ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here).

Wasn't planning on posting names on here!

[Btline]

Perhaps it's maryfgw's website.

[Brucey]

To follow up, although this didn't come from the official VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) account, a Twitter user saying he's a member of VT staff has tweeted that the website is a scam and action is bring taken by VT.

Said person is a Customer Relations Consultant at Virgin Trains.  I have no reason to disbelieve him.  Apparently the website has been reported to the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police).

The domain name's registration shows the owner as non-trading, so the name and address is hidden.  From my investigations, it appears to be run on a server using a home internet connection.  I'm sure the BTP will be able to find out the internet connection's owner from Be/O2.

[EBrown]

As a general fact, if you have a P.O. Box, you agree to your title, name and address being given away to any enquirers.

He has a P.O. Box [Although I have also been cunning in other ways].

[JayMac]

Site now offline. Also Google searches for mtixit now bring up a RailUK thread with the word 'Scam' as a first page hit.

Useful by-product of me starting that thread.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Perhaps it's maryfgw's website.

Hmm ...   Rather unlikely, I'd have thought:

... claims to be offering implausibly cheap tickets to your mobile for travel on Virgin Trains between Euston and Manchester.

I'd prefer not to give 'maryfgw' the oxygen of publicity here, thanks, Btline.

[thetrout]

I assume you guys looked on Nominet...?? That's a handy site isn't it!

Also Be/O2 connections are fairly easy to snoop on if they're using the ISP supplied routers they're stupid enough to leave Telnet on. Rather annoyingly, the Thomson Supplied Firmware doesn't allow you to change it. You can change it however if you "Flash" it, but that voids the warranty :-( Hence why I don't use their supplied kit.

Virgin Media do the same. But they get very very unhappy if you use your own kit such as a Cisco Cable Modem. Though that's not because they know the SuperHubs are rather poor. But because if you're clever enough to make it work with your own kit, then they know you're clever enough to change the startup commands to get more speeds than your actually paying for!