Trading Standards - TV Licensing Scams

23rd October 2025

Several people have recently received scam emails that use the official TV Licensing name and branding.

Common scam messages say your licence is about to expire or that a recent direct debit has failed and your TV Licence cannot be automatically renewed.

You are asked to click on a link to log into your account and update your details.

Links in these messages usually lead to a malicious website with TV Licensing branding which asks for your account details, payment information and personal details such as date of birth, address and phone number.

The email often says that, if you do not do this, your TV Licence will be cancelled and your details will be passed to a debt collection agency.

TV Licensing have put together a checklist to help you recognise genuine communications from them:

1. Check the sender
Genuine TV Licensing emails are sent from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk, donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk or tvlfieldresearchteam@tvlicensing.co.uk

2. Partial Postcode
If you have provided them with your postcode details, their emails will include part of your postcode and/or the name on the licence.

3. Look for your name
If you've given them your name, they will always address you using your last name and title. The scammers won't normally have that information about you. Watch out for fraudulent emails that only address you as "Dear client" or "Dear customer" or that simply use your email address (or part of it).

4. Check the spelling and grammar
Scammers can spoof genuine TV Licensing web addresses but may also have email addresses that use slightly different spellings - look out for things like unusually placed hyphens and full stops or numbers in place of letters.
Be suspicious too if there are mistakes in the email with capital letters or other grammatical errors, like missing full stops.

5. Check the links
Be wary of emails promising money/refunds. For example, phrases such as, “click below to access your refund”, followed by a request to provide your credit card or bank details (they would never process a refund in this way).
Always check links in an email before clicking or tapping them.

How to Avoid
TV Licensing will only email customers about payments if they have missed one and will not ask you to provide card details until you have signed in on their official website: www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

TV Licensing advise that, if you are unsure whether a communication is genuine, you should sign in to your account on their website to check whether any action is required.

Find out More
TV Licensing advice on avoiding scams: www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ288
ScamShare PDF on TV Licensing scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/Spotlight-TV-Licensing.pdf