TV Licence warning issued after huge increase in scams

Action Fraud, which monitors cyber crime in the UK, have revealed that there have been more than 3,400 reports of criminals using the TV Licence to try and con victims in the past two weeks.

Those tricked by the emails and clicking on links have seen their personal data and financial details stolen.

The links in the emails request victims to enter sensitive information, such as credit card or bank details.

Those targeted by the scams are told they have to take urgent action in order to avoid being find by the TV Licensing Board, but this is not true.

Action Fraud said: “The emails state that the recipient's TV Licence is about to expire, or that there was an issue with their latest payment.

“The links provided in the email lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details.”

Age UK has also issued a warning about the increase in TV Licence scams.

They said: “These emails are a phishing scam, a common type of email fraud where scammers will send bogus emails pretending to be from a respectable organisation. This is to trick you into clicking through to a fake website where you will enter your personal details.

“For this scam, the emails are disguised to look like they have been sent by the TV Licensing organisation.

“They may say you're entitled to a refund for an overpayment or warn that your licence is about to expire. They will then ask you to respond by entering your bank details on a fake website.

“Although the emails may use the TV Licensing logo and have other features that make them look authentic, you should never trust them.”

If you think you are targeted by an online scam, Action Fraud offers the following advice:

If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don't use the numbers or address in the message - use the details from their official website.

Your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.