All TV Licence holders have been placed on red alert after the rapid escalation of email scams targeting UK homes. Action Fraud, which closely monitors cyber crime, says it received over 3,400 reports of TV cons in just two weeks.
If that wasn't bad enough, concern has also been raised by just how official the messages look and the consequences of falling for the scam.
According to Action Fraud, those clicking on the links included within the email are taken to websites where they are then asked to hand over personal data and financial details such as credit card or bank account numbers.
Many of the emails being pushed out by cyber crooks suggest that the user’s TV Licence expiring and urgent action is needed to avoid being fined. Of course, this is simply a method to worry people and rush them into entering details without thinking first.
“The emails state that the recipient's TV Licence is about to expire, or that there was an issue with their latest payment,” Action Fraud explained. "The links provided in the email lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details."
If you receive a message that claims to be from the TV Licence office then take care and think before acting.
It’s worth noting that real TV Licensing emails will always include your name and/or part of your postcode. If the message doesn’t have this data then it’s likely to be a scam.
Along with warning users, Action Fraud has also issued advice on how to stay safe online and here are some top tips to avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime.
• If you have doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly.
• Don't use the numbers or address 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.
These latest scams could hopefully be avoided for some email users in the future thanks to a Gmail upgrade from Google. The US technology giant is introducing Twitter-style blue ticks which will quickly show if a message has come from an account that’s verified.
Google says that the update has been introduced to help users and email security systems identify and stop annoying spam and dangerous scams that continue to be pushed out on a daily basis.
"Strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust.," Google said.
