TV Licence: The key warning signs as a new scam seeks to defraud Britons
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TV licence scams tend to revolve around the payment many Britons have to make in order to watch live TV at home. With changes to the free TV Licence, and uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 crisis, it is likely many could fall victim to sophisticated scams which could damage their bank balance. The latest scam, however, slightly differs in detail from false correspondence many have received before, so it is important to understand the specific warning signs.
The professional looking email may dupe some Britons as it claims to be from the official TV Licensing company.
The subject line of the email states: “Processing Notification September 2020 | Email return item”.
It goes on to read: “Dear Customer, today is your last day to remain licensed. You will not be covered if you let you licence expire.
“Your bank has declined the latest Direct Debit payment. Would you like to pay now?
“Renew your TV Licence before it expires in September 2020 to remain legally licensed.”
The email then redirects Britons to click a link labelled as a ‘payment gateway’, which prompts them to enter their debit card details.
However, this is likely to be an instance of phishing, where fraudsters harvest the personal and sensitive data of their unsuspecting victims.
The email unfortunately tries to defraud Britons even further with its appearance of legitimacy.
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At the top of the correspondence, the official TV Licensing logo is featured.
And at the bottom of the email, the message even attempts to defraud those with sensory impairments.
It reads: “If you have sight problems, you can get this information in Braille, large print or audio by calling 0300 790 6075.
“If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, you can use our text phone facility by calling 0300 790 6051.”
But these telephone numbers have both been recorded as scam correspondence, and yet another way to defraud Britons out of their hard-earned cash.
People are urged to pay particular attention, as the numbers contained within the email only slightly differ from the real TV Licensing contact information.
On closer inspection, despite the email stating it is from TV Licensing, the email address contained within shows the message has arrived from ‘[email protected]’.
This is not an official domain name, and is therefore another sign this correspondence is a scam.
Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber reporting centre, have recently issued warnings about TV Licence related scams.
They state: “Never provide details by email. TV Licensing will never ask you to reply to an email and provide bank details or personal information.”
If someone does believe they have fallen victim to a scam of this kind, there are certain actions to take.
Firstly, a person should immediately inform their bank, and then monitor their statements regularly for any unusual activity.
Secondly, people are encouraged to reach out to Action Fraud who may be able to accelerate the matter further to protect others from being scammed.
For those in doubt, independently accessing the TV Licence website for the official contact information of the organisation can provide further clarity.
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