TV licence fee scam is circulating and it could drain your bank account

Action Fraud has shared a warning on social media, explaining they’ve been made aware of these fake messages where fraudsters purport to be from TV Licensing.

There are links within the messages, which imitate TV Licensing branding, which lead to genuine-looking websites.

However, they are designed to steal personal and financial information.

An example reads: “Please renew your licence now, it only takes a few minutes. Your TV licence expires on 17 February 2024. To renew, choose whether you want to pay monthly or all in one go, get your payment details ready and then it’s done for another year.”

There is then a “renew now” button which leads to the fake website.

The message adds: “Renewing on time means more of the licence fee goes towards BBC TV, radio and online services. Thank you.”

Scammers try to seem more authoritative by including details such as a “licence number” and a note on the £159 fee.

The TV Licensing website says people who have already entered their personal details on a suspicious site should report it to Action Fraud online or by telephone on 0300 123 2040.

If this includes submitting card or bank account details, people should talk to their bank “immediately”.

Fraudsters often tell the recipient that they need to make an urgent payment. TV Licensing will only email customers about payments if they have missed one, and customers can check this online by logging into their account via the official website.

While scammers sometimes say a person is entitled to a refund or a cheaper licence, TV Licensing says they won’t do this unless a person has contacted them about a refund and they are replying.

It’s also important to be aware of fake licence numbers, which the scam emails may contain.

For those who have clicked the link in the email, there may be some signs it’s not legitimate.

For instance, the website address should be tvlicensing.co.uk or spp.tvlicensing.co.uk, TV Licensing said.

Furthermore, the genuine website wouldn’t ask for one’s mother’s maiden name.

Date of birth won’t be asked for, unless the person is over 74 and applying for a free TV licence (because they get Pension Credit).

Customers also won’t need to enter their card details to make a missed payment until they’ve signed in using their licence number, last name and postcode.