TV Licence holders across the borough are being issued a warning as the number of targeted email scams increases.
According to Action Fraud, which monitors cyber crime cases, there has been a huge increase in reports of fraudsters using the TV licence as the subject of their con attempt in the last few weeks.
The concern comes as those who have clicked on the links included in the scam email have seen their personal data and financial details stolen after being asked to input information such as credit card or bank details online.
The emails tell recipients that they are required to take urgent action to avoid being fined by the TV Licensing Board, causing alarm and meaning many click through and submit their details without a second thought.
Action Fraud explained: “The emails state that the recipient’s TV Licence is about to expire, or that there was an issue with their latest payment.
The links provided in the email lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details”, the cyber crime experts added.
They are urging anyone who receives such an email to take care and think before acting.
Official TV Licensing emails always include your name and/or part of your postcode, with messages missing this data likely to be a scam.
The team at Action Fraud have now issued advice on how to stay safe online and avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime.
They advise:
• If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly.
• Don’t use the numbers or addresses in the message – use the details from their official website.
• Your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.
The latest scams may be avoidable for some users in the future due to the upcoming Gmail upgrade. Google is planning to introduce Twitter-style blue ticks which will quickly show if a message has come from an account that’s verified.
