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 * / Helping you avoid TV Licensing scams – and how to report one


HELPING YOU AVOID TV LICENSING SCAMS – AND HOW TO REPORT ONE

View in Welsh
 


We want to help you keep your data safe. On this page we show you how to spot an
email scam and report one. We also have advice on text and phone call scams and
letter scams. You can check your licence or payment plan by signing in on our
website.
 


Already entered your personal details on a suspicious site?
Report it to Action Fraud or call them on 0300 123 2040. If this included card
or bank account details, talk to your bank immediately.

Report an email scam
Send any scam or suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and the National
Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will investigate. If the email links to a scam
website it will be blocked or taken down.


Watch our video on how to spot a scam and where to report it.




STOP. CHECK. ASK. TV Licensing guide - How to identify genuine TV Licensing
communications, and how to spot the scammers - English (PDF – 363 Mb – opens in
a new window)





WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR?

We include the name and/or part of your postcode in our emails. Many scams
simply use your email address or say ‘Dear Customer’.

We send our emails from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk (or
donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk).

If you are a TV Licensing payment card customer and you make mobile payments via
the TVL Pay app, you may receive emails from noreply@paypoint.com. The sender’s
name will show as ‘TVL Pay’.


Scammers often hide the true email address they’re using, check the email
address. On your device, select the sender’s name (or email address) to show the
actual email address.



WHAT DO SCAM EMAILS SAY - OR ASK YOU TO DO?

Scam emails often tell you that you need to make an urgent payment. We only
email customers about payments if they have missed one. You can sign in to your
account to check.

They often say you can get a refund or a cheaper licence. We will never do this
unless you have contacted us about a refund and we are replying to you.

Scam emails may show a fake licence number. Your licence number is on letters we
send you, or search your email inbox for emails from
‘donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk’ (or ‘donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk’).



IF YOU’VE CLICKED A LINK, ARE YOU ON THE REAL TV LICENSING WEBSITE?

Check the web address. Make sure you’re at tvlicensing.co.uk or
spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

WE WON’T ASK FOR:


 * your mother’s maiden name
 * your date of birth (unless you’re over 74 and applying for a free TV Licence)
 * your card details to make a missed payment UNTIL you’ve signed in using your
   licence number, surname and postcode.



NEED HELP TO CHECK IF A TV LICENSING EMAIL IS GENUINE?

Here’s an example of a real TV Licensing email. We’ve marked it up to help you
spot if an email you’ve received is a scam.



1. Check the sender

Genuine TV Licensing emails are sent from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or
donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk.



2. Partial Postcode

If you have provided us with your postcode details, our emails will include part
of your postcode and/or the name on the licence.

3. Look for your name

If you’ve given us your name, then we’ll always address you using your last name
and title. The scammers won’t normally have that information about you. So,
watch out for emails that only address you as “Dear client” or “Dear customer” –
or just use your email address (or part of it).

4. Check the spelling and grammar

Because scammers can’t use our genuine TV Licensing web addresses or email
addresses, they’ll try to use slightly different spellings – look out for things
like hyphens and full stops in odd places.

Be suspicious too if there are mistakes in the email with capital letters or
other grammatical errors, like missing full stops – this could be a scam.

5. Check the links

Be wary of emails promising money/refunds. For example, phrases such as, “click
below to access your refund”, followed by a request to provide your credit card
or bank details (we would never process a refund in this way).

Always check links in an email before clicking or tapping them.

If you're on a computer
Hover over the link (but don't click it). This will reveal the name of the web
address that you are being sent to.

If you're on a smartphone or tablet
Press and hold on the link (don't release while you are on the link). This will
reveal the name of the web address that you are being sent to.

 
Phone and text scams
 

Report a scam text.
Help stop the scammers by sending a photo or screenshot of the message to
textscam@tvlicensing.co.uk
 



FIRSTLY, WHAT WE'LL NEVER DO:

Send you a text message to tell you you’re entitled to a refund

Ask you to set up a payment plan or provide your bank details by text message

Ask you to enter any personal details into our website until you’ve successfully
signed into your licence.

Before you enter any information, you should check the website address is our
genuine website tvlicensing.co.uk (or spp.tvlicensing.co.uk).


SO, WHEN DO TV LICENSING SEND TEXT MESSAGES?

If you’re a TV Licensing payment card customer, we may send you a text to ask
you to make a payment. If you’re a Simple Payment Plan customer, the link takes
you to our secure payment provider (tvlspp.paythru.com)

If you’re a TV Licensing payment card customer and you make mobile payments via
the TVL Pay app, you may receive text messages from ‘TVL Pay’ to confirm your
payment.

If you’ve just signed up for Direct Debit, you may receive a text message
letting you know when your first payment will be taken

If you’ve contacted us by phone or on our automated service – we may send you a
confirmation message or a satisfaction survey

If you receive your licence through the post, you may receive a message asking
you to go paperless

If the message asks you to call a number, please check it’s one of these
numbers:

 * 0300 555 0293 if you pay by payment card
 * 0300 790 6082 if you pay by Direct Debit
 * 0300 555 0355 if you are a Simple Payment Plan customer

If you’ve received a text which asks you to call any other number, do not call
it.


RECEIVED A PHONE CALL AND NOT SURE IT’S GENUINE?

Occasionally we may call you if there’s a problem with your TV Licence. This
will usually be about a missed payment, a cancelled Direct Debit, or a reminder
to renew.

We’ll call you from either 0300 790 6075, 0300 555 0285 or 0300 555 0355

If you’re not sure the call is genuine, don’t provide any personal information.
You can also sign in to view your licence or payment plan.

If you’ve contacted us with a query, one of our team may call you back to
discuss it. This may be from a withheld number, but the call will only be
regarding the query you’ve raised.

Letter scams


WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Scammers may send you a letter, addressed to you by name, asking you to call or
go online to confirm your payment details.

Letters from TV Licensing are genuine if:

you are currently licensed and you have given us your title and last name, we
will always use these when we write to you. We’ll also include your TV Licence
number.

If you are registered as ‘No Licence Needed’, we’ll include that reference
number instead of your TV Licence number.


WHAT WILL SCAMMERS TRY?

A scam letter will often tell you there is a problem with your licence or that
you are due a refund. This is to try to get you to go to a fake website or call
a fake number to sort it out. If you are ever suspicious or doubtful about what
a letter is asking you to do, sign in to your licence to check if anything looks
wrong.

Official TV Licensing websites are:

tvlicensing.co.uk

spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

75plan.tvlicensing.co.uk

QR Codes


QR CODES IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS

QR (quick response) codes, like the one shown here, are becoming increasingly
common. They can help you reach a website more quickly, using your
mobile phone.



To check if a QR code is genuinely from us, open the camera on your mobile and
hover it over the code. It it's from us, you'll see one of the web links below,
so you'll know it's safe to tap through:


tvlicensing.co.uk

spp.tvlicensing.co.uk

75plan.tvlicensing.co.uk

And if you can't use the QR code, or you don't want to, we'll always show the
full web address in the communication as well, so you can use that to access
the webpage.

How to report an email or text scam

Report an email scam – We support the work of the Government’s National Cyber
Security Centre (NCSC) to help stop scammers.
Send any scam or suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and they will
investigate.

Report a text scam – Take a screenshot of the message and send it to
textscams@tvlicensing.co.uk



NEED MORE HELP OR ADVICE?

More about scams on which.co.uk (opens in a new window)

Dealing with suspicious emails, phone calls and texts messages on ncsc.gov.uk
(opens in a new window)

What to do if you think you have malware on your device on ncsc.gov.uk (opens in
a new window)

More about how to secure yourself online on ncsc.gov.uk (opens in a new window)

Spam text messages on getsafeonline.org (opens in a new window)

Viruses and spyware on your mobile on getsafeonline.org (opens in a new window)

 

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Your questions answered. TV Licensing FAQs in one place.



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