TV LICENSING SCAM
For all payers of the TV Licence and for members who will have to pay from June 2020 please note.
In January 2019, BBC News reported that a television fee license scam had resulted in over 5,000 complaints during the previous 3 months. There were 1,963 complaints to Action Fraud in December alone. These fake emails try to convince you that there is a payment issue to try and collect your bank details and they are very convincing. The link they send you directs you to a fake website and you are then asked to enter your bank details.
Here are some tips to help you to check if the email is a fraud or not.
The sender’s email address – does it look like one TV Licensing would use?
The subject line – anything such as “action required” or “security alert” should be treated with suspicion
Spelling and grammar – grammatical errors suggest it is likely to be a scam
The style – scammers often take real emails and amend them, so be wary of emails that seem too familiar or casual
The link – does it go through to the official TV Licensing website? https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/#
ALSO, the following are the things the TV Licensing Authority would NEVER ask you to do
They will never unprompted:
- email you to tell you that you’re entitled to a refund
- offer you a discounted TV Licence
On their website they will never ask for:
- your card details to take a missed payment before we’ve first asked you to sign in to identify yourself using your licence number, surname and post code
- your mother’s maiden name
- your date of birth (unless you’re 74 or over and applying for a free TV Licence)
More information is available @ https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ288
PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND VIGILANT. If you have your suspicions about ANY email you think might be a scam, then always report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
