Fake emails claiming your TV Licence direct debit has failed are designed to trick you into handing over your personal and payment details.
What is happening?
An email arrives claiming to be from TV Licensing, telling you that your direct debit payment has been declined. It provides a link to update your payment details. The link leads to a fake website designed to steal your personal and financial information.
Why does this scam work?
Almost every household in the UK has a TV Licence, which makes this scam very widely targeted. The email uses official-looking TV Licensing branding and creates mild urgency — your licence may lapse — to prompt a quick response.
Warning signs:
An unexpected email about a failed TV Licence payment. A link asking you to update your bank or card details. Any email that creates urgency around a payment you did not know had failed.
What to do:
Do not click the link. If you are concerned about your TV Licence, go directly to tvlicensing.co.uk by typing the address yourself and log in to check your account. TV Licensing will never ask you to verify payment details by clicking a link in an email. You can report scam emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.
