One man has been arrested and his accomplices are still sought in an ongoing investigation by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement which began after an advertisement appeared in a series of periodicals over the weekend and throughout the week, advertising a 'one night only' express train departing Hogsmeade for London. The advertisements, which notably appeared on a full-page spread in Witch Weekly on Sunday, appeared to be geared primarily towards women based on the choices of publication which ran the ads.

Those interested in leaving the village were instructed to inquire via owl, where a limited number of tickets were available for sale. This was purportedly the only train leaving Hogsmeade which did not require Ministry travel passes for entry. The Ministry has confirmed that no such train exists, nor did anyone in an official capacity authorize the sale of tickets out of Hogsmeade.

Correspondence was being filtered through Mr. Jacob Dillsbury, of London, who was apprehended by aurors last night for his part in the scheme. Mr. Dillsbury was responsible for crafting replies to anyone who wrote to inquire about ticket prices, and deposited money he received from those tickets into a Gringotts account opened under a false name. He was not responsible for placing the ads, nor was he the mastermind behind the scheme, but he has yet to name his accomplice or accomplices.

Those who bought faked tickets on the train will likely not see their money back, as the associated Gringott's account was emptied on a daily basis. Aurors are still working to trace down the other parties of the fraud. Dillsbury, meanwhile, is being held in Ministry cells pursuant to a trial. It is suspected, based on the amount of correspondence seized from his rooms, that the scheme may have brought in as many as 200 galleons or more from various women, many of whom purchased tickets at a premium for multiple members of their families.