A Seven Kings man has been jailed for almost seven years for his part in an Oyster card scam that cost Transport for London more than £370,000 in fraudulent refunds.

Nathan Jeffrey-Payne, 28, of Nutfield Gardens, Seven Kings, was part of a six-strong gang of sophisticated criminals who found a way to clone older Oyster cards and trick ticket machines into thinking there was still money on them.

These fraudulent first generation Oysters were then used at multiple ticket machines across London to obtain thousands of pounds in false refunds.

Jeffrey-Payne pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply articles for use in fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and concealing criminal property and was sentenced to six years and nine months’ imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday.

Five other men from across north London were also jailed for between seven years and 18 months for their roles in the organised crime.

British Transport Police (BTP) officers began investigating two years ago, when TfL first reported Oyster cards being used to reclaim nonexistent credit.

The gang produced hundreds of cloned cards and recruited people to visit Tube stations across the capital to collect refunds of between £10 and £13 per card each time.

BTP investigators soon identified 16 people who had been recruited to collect these refunds, and further investigations uncovered Jeffrey-Payne as one of the masterminds of the fraud.

The 28-year-old claimed to have no fixed income, but at the height of the scheme’s success in July 2016 purchased a brand new £20,000 BMW in cash.

He was arrested on August 16 last year before being charged on November 11.

Investigating officer, Det Con Jon Butterwick from the Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This was a large operation run by an organised crime gang which brought in hundreds of thousands of pounds for the offenders.

“Fortunately, TfL noticed the unusual refund activity and alerted BTP, and we were able to gather intelligence and evidence to identify the members of the crime group and bring them to justice.

“This was a sophisticated crime which required a specialised team to detect and provide the necessary evidence to put before the court.”