TV Licence holders in the UK have been issued an urgent warning with their money under threat.
Cyber criminals have been targeting license holders through new scams circulating via email.
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Action Fraud, which closely monitors cyber crime, says it received over 3,400 reports of TV cons in just two weeks.
The latest round of emails from scammers suggest that a person’s TV licence is due to expire soon, and that they should renew immediately online.
But the sense of urgency can lead to some recipients rashly clicking the fake link, and parting ways with valuable personal details.
Concern has also been raised by just how official the messages look and the consequences of falling for the scam.
Cyber crooks are finding success with this method by worrying innocent people into rushing into entering key information without thinking first.
“The emails state that the recipient’s TV Licence is about to expire, or that there was an issue with their latest payment,” Action Fraud explained.
“The links provided in the email lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details.”
The team also added that legitimate TV licence emails always include your name and sometimes part of your postcode.
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It’s vital that you do not disclose personal information like this over the phone, as scammers may use the answers to break into personal accounts and take your money.
If you receive a message that claims to be from the TV Licence office then take care and think before acting.
Should you receive a message of concern, Action Fraud say you can contact them directly for advice.
It’s important to never use the phone number, email or link included in the potentially harmful message.
Instead, you should go to the official website and find them for yourself.
Remember to always keep in mind that your bank will never ask you to supply personal email via email – nor will any other official source.
If you spot a suspicious email, you can also forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS).
