Households with a BBC TV Licence should be on high alert after a shock new scam has been discovered. The latest threat arrives in the form of a very official-looking email which claims to be from TV Licensing. The message states the users’ account could not be updated due to a declined Direct Debit with them then having a limited time to renew their licence before it expires.
“If you will not update your information, the service provided by TV Licensing may be interrupted”, the email warns.
“If you don’t keep up with your payments, we may be forced to cancel your licence or pass your details to a debt collection agency,” it continues.
Those receiving the note are urged to pay the £11.90 overdue balance to make sure their account is up to date.
It’s unclear what happens once the link to the payment page is clicked but it’s likely scammers will then use this information for their own financial reward.
Although the message looks very authentic there are some glaring errors which should instantly raise alarm bells.
JUST IN: BritBox hopes to rival Netflix with old ‘Gavin and Stacey’ and ‘The Office’ episodes
Firstly, it’s not addressed to a unique name with a ‘Dear Customer’ phrase used instead.
TV Licensing says they will always address their correspondence to the licence holder directly and never refer to anyone in such a generic way.
“We never contact customers out of the blue to ask for bank details, personal information, or to tell them that they may be entitled to a refund.
“If people are unsure about a communication they’ve received they can find useful information at www.tvl.co.uk/scam or call us on 0300 790 6112.”
If you are concerned about this scam or any other emails that do not appear official then you’ll find lots of further useful information on the TV Licensing website.
Here’s some advice to help keep you safe.
TV Licensing will never unprompted:
• Email you to tell you that you’re entitled to a refund
• Offer you a discounted TV Licence
• Call you using an automated voice message to let you know there are any issues with your licence, payments or security and ask you to call an 0345 number.
Its website 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)