Pressing alert for all UK TV licence holders – ignoring it could price you
Anyone with a TV Licence wants to remain alert and take care earlier than responding to any recent emails arriving into their inbox. That’s the most recent warning from Action Fraud UK with the fraud and cyber reporting centre warning UK residents in regards to the risks of TV Licence scams, which look like getting extra well-liked. Fraudsters are actually sending out messages that may fake to be from authorities providers which then ask customers to click on on hyperlinks that take them to bogus web sites that seem actual.
The emails recommend that the consumer’s TV Licence is about to run out and that they need to renew it by way of an internet site instantly or lose it. It’s that sense of urgency that may lead some to click on on the faux hyperlink and start getting into extremely private particulars.
In a tweet, Action Fraud warned that it had obtained 3,455 stories over simply the previous two weeks alone, regarding faux emailing regarding TV licenses.
In the message on social media, they wrote: “The emails state that the recipient’s TV Licence is about to expire, or that there was an issue with their latest payment.
“The hyperlinks offered within the e-mail result in genuine-looking web sites which can be designed to steal private and monetary particulars.”
They advised users that real TV Licence emails will always include your name and/or part of your postcode.
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Last month, TV Licensing, which is the official body responsible for collecting the fee, warned Twitter users about the growing number of scams in this department.
They wrote: “Scams are on the increase. Remember, we will never call to ask for:
“Your mother’s maiden name
“Your date of birth
“Your card details
“If you think you’ve been targeted by scammers, send a photo or screenshot of the message to textscam@tvlicensing.co.uk. #StopCheckAsk”
It is important not to disclose such information to someone over the phone, as hackers can use these simple answers to break into your personal accounts. If you receive a message that you have doubts over, Action Fraud advised users to contact the organisation directly.
You should never use the phone number or email address sent in the message, but rather go to the official website and find them for yourself.
Furthermore, you should always remember that your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.
Action Fraud added that if you spotted a suspicious email, you can Forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) report@phishing.gov.uk