Transit ticket scam probed

Police are investigating two suspected ticket counterfeiters after the Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) discovered some of the former 26 Kč tickets it has been buying back since the July 1 price change were actually forgeries.

The company says it gave police the results of an internal audit that showed the repurchased tickets involved had come from two sellers - likely tobacconists or grocery stores - who are now subject to a criminal investigation.

At the same time, DPP has played down the extent of the scam, saying that only 276 fake tickets - with a total value of just over 7,000 Kč ($406) - had been discovered to date.

"In no way can we say that counterfeits comprised one-third of all repurchased tickets," said Ilona Vysoudilová, head of the DPP Press Department, referring to a claim made by security expert Vladimír Sitta on Czech Radio July 14.

In a statement, she said the DPP had bought back some 4.2 million Kč worth of 26 Kč tickets - which were no longer valid from July 1, when the price was raised to 32 Kč - from both corporate customers and individual passengers.

The changeover period during which the 26 Kč tickets can be returned for their face value ends Aug. 31.

DPP agents involved in verifying repurchased tickets have been trained to identify genuine tickets, Vysoudilová said, adding that each one is examined using ultraviolet lamps to check for watermarks and other security features.

"On the counterfeit tickets we discovered, the chemical color was missing at the spot where the ticket was stamped, and also the real watermark is not part of the paper of the ticket, but is printed on the back of the ticket," she said.

Many of the security features on today's paper tickets, including colored sections on the front, were introduced at the time of the last fare change in February 2008. At that time, there was also a surge in counterfeiting, Vysoudilová said.

Police have meanwhile admitted the bogus tickets are often so close to the real thing that it is difficult for either the seller or the customer to discern a counterfeit with only the naked eye. At the same time, they are urging all forgery cases be reported to them.

One unlucky passenger who did not wish to give her full name told Czech Radio she tried to exchange old tickets she found in her house earlier this month, only to discover they were forgeries.

The woman urged others wishing to avoid the same fate to only buy paper tickets from machines or from official ticket stands.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Bill Lehane can be reached at
blehane@praguepost.com