Man arrested for trying to use fake mobile ticket on Metra train

A northwest suburban man was arrested and his phone confiscated after he tried to use a fake mobile ticket on a Metra train Tuesday morning.

David D. Rasinski, 23, of Streamwood tried to pay his fare by using his cellphone to display a fake ticket on the Milwaukee West Line, according to a statement from Metra.

The conductor became suspicious of the ticket after noticing a difference in security features, according to the transit agency. He notified Metra police, who responded and arrested Rasinski.

He was taken to the Chicago Police 1st District station, where he was charged with one misdemeanor count of theft and his phone was seized as evidence. He is scheduled to appear in court April 29.

Rasinski is the first person charged with trying to use a fake mobile ticket, according to a Metra spokeswoman, but there are two additional active investigation where arrests are pending.

The Ventra mobile ticketing app, launched in November, allows Metra customers to buy and display tickets on their smartphones.

“We have security measures in place to prevent counterfeiting of our mobile tickets, just as we do for our printed tickets,” Metra CEO Don Orseno said in the statement.

“We have zero tolerance for riders who don’t pay their fares and will continue to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Anyone with information about fraudulent use of the app should call Metra police at (312) 322-2800.