TV Licence Scam Emails: How to Spot Them, What to Do, and How to Report Them

June 24, 2026 George 0 Comments

TV Licence scam emails are among the most common phishing attacks in the UK. Action Fraud receives thousands of reports every year relating to fake TV Licensing correspondence — emails, texts, and letters that impersonate TV Licensing to steal bank details and personal information.

The good news: they are usually easy to spot once you know what to look for. The key rule: the real TV Licensing will never ask you to click a link to enter bank details or payment information in response to an email or text.

How to Spot a TV Licence Scam Email

Scam TV Licensing emails typically follow one of these templates:

‘Your TV Licence payment has failed — update your payment details now’ (with a link)
‘You are due a TV Licence refund of £169.50 — claim it here’ (refund scams are very common)
‘Your TV Licence has been cancelled — reactivate it here’
‘We have been unable to process your direct debit — confirm your bank details’

Warning Sign	What It Looks Like
Suspicious sender address	From a non-tvlicensing.co.uk or non-bbc.co.uk domain — e.g. tv-licence-support@gmail.com
Urgent language	‘Immediate action required’, ‘within 24 hours’, ‘or your licence will be cancelled’
Link to payment page	A link asking you to enter card details or bank details
Refund offer	Claiming you are owed a refund — real refunds are processed automatically, not via links
Generic greeting	‘Dear Customer’ rather than your actual name
Poor spelling/grammar	Professional-looking but with subtle errors in wording or spacing
Hover test	Hovering over the link reveals a URL that is not tvlicensing.co.uk

What Real TV Licensing Emails Look Like

Genuine TV Licensing emails:

Come from @tvlicensing.co.uk or @bbc.co.uk domain addresses
Address you by name (first name or full name) if they have this on file
Do not ask you to enter bank details or payment information via a link
Direct you to tvlicensing.co.uk for any account management — never to a third-party site
Reference your TV Licence number in the email

TV Licensing’s real website is tvlicensing.co.uk — note the exact spelling. Scam sites often use similar-looking domains such as tv-licensing.co.uk, tvlicence.co.uk, or tvlicensing.com (note .com rather than .co.uk).

TV Licence Scam Texts

Scam texts (SMS) claiming to be from TV Licensing are also very common. They typically:

Claim your payment has failed and ask you to click a link
Say your licence is about to expire
Offer a refund via a link

TV Licensing does send genuine text messages for payment reminders, but real texts never include links asking for payment details. If you receive a text like this, do not click the link. Go directly to tvlicensing.co.uk by typing it yourself.

What to Do If You Receive a TV Licence Scam Email

Do not click any links in the email
Do not enter any personal or payment information
Do not reply to the email
Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) by forwarding to report@phishing.gov.uk
Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040
Forward the scam email to TV Licensing’s phishing reporting address: phishing@tvlicensing.co.uk
Delete the email from your inbox

If you have already clicked a link and entered your details:

Contact your bank immediately to report potential fraud and consider freezing your card
Change any passwords you may have entered on a fake site
Report to Action Fraud as above
Monitor your accounts for unusual transactions

TV Licence Refund Scams: What to Know

Refund scams are particularly effective because some people genuinely are owed TV Licence refunds — for example, when a licence holder cancels early or after the death of a licence holder. This makes the scam believable.

The key fact: if you are genuinely owed a TV Licence refund, TV Licensing will either automatically credit it back to your bank account (the same account you paid from) or send a cheque. They will not send you a link asking you to claim it by entering bank details.

If you believe you are owed a refund, go directly to tvlicensing.co.uk or call 0300 790 6113 — do not use any link from an email.

Reporting a TV Licence Scam: Where to Go

Organisation	How to Report
NCSC (phishing emails/texts)	Forward to report@phishing.gov.uk
Action Fraud	actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040
TV Licensing directly	phishing@tvlicensing.co.uk
Your bank (if details entered)	Call your bank’s fraud line immediately
ICO (data breach)	ico.org.uk if your personal data was compromised

Concerned about a letter from TV Licensing rather than an email? See our guide to TV Licence enforcement — threatening letters and what inspectors can do for a plain-English breakdown.

Report a phishing email to the National Cyber Security Centre by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk — the NCSC uses these reports to take down fraudulent sites.

Bottom Line


Main scam type	Failed payment / refund claim via a link
Key rule	Real TV Licensing never asks for bank details via email link
Real domain	tvlicensing.co.uk or bbc.co.uk — no other variants
Report email scam	report@phishing.gov.uk (NCSC) + phishing@tvlicensing.co.uk
Report via Action Fraud	actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040
If you entered details	Call your bank immediately + report to Action Fraud
Real refunds	Auto-credited to your bank or sent by cheque — never via a link

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if a TV Licence email is genuine?

Genuine TV Licensing emails come from @tvlicensing.co.uk or @bbc.co.uk addresses, address you by name, and never ask you to enter bank or payment details via a link. If an email asks you to click a link to enter payment information, it is almost certainly a scam. Go directly to tvlicensing.co.uk by typing it yourself rather than clicking any email link.

What should I do if I receive a TV Licence scam email?

Do not click any links or enter any information. Forward the email to report@phishing.gov.uk (the NCSC’s phishing reporting service) and to phishing@tvlicensing.co.uk. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. Then delete the email. If you have already clicked a link and entered details, contact your bank immediately.

Is a TV Licence refund email a scam?

Almost certainly yes. TV Licence refund scam emails are very common and claim you are owed a refund that can be claimed by entering your bank details via a link. Real TV Licensing refunds are automatically processed back to your original payment method or sent by cheque — you never need to enter bank details to claim a legitimate refund.

What is the real TV Licensing email address?

TV Licensing sends genuine emails from @tvlicensing.co.uk and @bbc.co.uk domains. Scam emails come from lookalike domains such as tv-licensing.co.uk, tvlicence.co.uk, or non-UK domains like .com. Always check the full sender address, not just the display name, before trusting an emai