A journalist in his 30s has described receiving at least 10 scam emails in just 30 days, all falsely claiming he had not paid his TV Licence. The emails, which landed in his junk folder, were designed to appear as if they came from TV Licensing, with subjects warning of payment problems or overdue renewal.
Red flags in the scam emails
The journalist, who works for a company providing regular cybersecurity training, said none of the emails contained his actual TV Licence number, instead displaying a different reference number in each one. The logos used did not look quite like the real thing, and none of the emails came from an official @tvlicensing.co.uk address—each was sent from a vastly different, sometimes nonsensical, email address.
The deluge of scam emails began shortly after he had changed the bank account used for direct debits, including his TV Licence. When one legitimate direct debit did not go through correctly after the switch, the scam emails played on his mind even more. It was only when billing day arrived and the money left his account as it should that he relaxed.
TV Licensing among most impersonated scams
The National Cyber Security Centre says TV Licensing is one of the most impersonated email scams reported to its Suspicious Email Reporting Service, which has removed thousands of scams since April 2020. The emails sent to the journalist included links to update payment details, warned of prosecution and fines up to £1,000, and urged a response within 48 hours.
In response to the scam emails, a TV Licensing spokesperson said: "We take the protection of our customers extremely seriously and work with charities and local authorities across the UK to raise awareness of how people can avoid scams. We’d encourage anyone who is suspicious or doubtful about whether correspondence that appears to be from TV Licensing is genuine to call us or check our website where there is guidance on how to spot scams."
