This email scam tells you you've overpaid on your TV licence, but it's not what it seems.
There has been a rise in TV licence scam emails which try to trick people into handing over their bank details.
Action Fraud is warning us to watch out for bogus emails, pretending to come from TV Licensing.
The emails offer a refund for overpayment of TV licence fees, but says that you need to update your bank details before the refund can be issued.
You are then directed to a dodgy website that looks similar to the official TV Licensing site. There is a form there for you to enter your bank details.
If you make the mistake of filling in the form you’ve just handed your bank details to fraudsters.
How to avoid it
Action Fraud has said that TV Licensing will not contact you by email about refunds.
If you think you have overpaid and are due some money back you need to contact them via the official TV Licensing website.
If you do receive an email purporting to be from TV Licensing do not open any attachments or click on any links within it.
They could contain malware that criminals can use to steal details from your computer and access your bank accounts.
Anyone who is unsure about an email they have received can check with TV Licensing via its official website or by calling 0300 790 6165.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam contact Action Fraud via the website or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Spot a fake TV Licensing email
There are a wide range of TV licence scams that have done the rounds in recent years. To help you figure out if an email you’ve received is genuine or a potential scam, TV Licensing has put together the following checklist.
Does it ask for your details? Ignore it
The first thing to note is that it will never ask you to provide bank details or personal information.
Check the email address
TV Licensing will almost always use one of the following email addresses:
donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk
no-reply@tv-l.co.uk
no-reply@tvlreminders.co.uk
Occasionally, TV Licensing partners with other companies to send out emails.
These companies include InfoBase-X and Acxiom Limited, which may email you – on behalf of TV Licensing – from Infobase-XConsumer@dm-uk1.com.
Check the email subject line
Anything along the lines of "Action required", "Security Alert", "System Upgrade", "There is a secure message waiting for you", and so on, should be treated as suspicious.
Check for a change in style
Often, scammers will take the real emails and amend them. Look out for changes in the wording used, especially if it seems too casual or familiar.
Check for spelling and grammar
Are there any spelling mistakes, missing full stops or other grammatical errors?
Check the links go to the TV Licensing website
If you are on a desktop computer, hover over the links in the email (but don't click on them) to see their destination and check the web address carefully.
If you can’t hover over the links (e.g. because you are on a phone or tablet) or are not sure what to do, just go directly to the TV Licensing website.
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