When applying for a new TV licence, a Which? member received an email offering him a refund. It turned out to be a scam…
Mike Douglas told us:
‘I recently visited the TV Licensing website to apply for the free licence for over-75s. Having entered my details, I received an email advising that I would hear back within 21 working days.
‘Just four days later, I received an email stating I was eligible for a refund of £86.99. It said that my account couldn’t be credited due to invalid details and to click the link to be refunded.
‘By phone, TV Licensing staff confirmed this was a scam and that other people were also being targeted. If I did not pay by direct debit and had been expecting a rebate, I would have been more vulnerable.’
Our say on TV licence scams
It would appear the timing of this phishing email was a coincidence, as a few members have recently alerted us about similar communications.
Whenever you receive an email from a company, check whether the email address appears unusual. If you hover over the link and it directs to an unusual domain, that’s another tell-tale sign of a scam.
Never click on a link in an email you think may be suspicious or reply to the sender. Be aware that TV Licensing will never email to ask for bank details or personal information.
If you have any doubts about the sender of an email, contact the company by phone or go directly to its website.
Have you heard of this TV licence refund scam before? Have you ever been offered a refund that turned out to be a scam?