Yahoo Finance Watchdog issue warning over TV licence fraud after more than 2,500 complaints
ATV licence fraud warning has been issued, as phishing watchdog says that scammers are mimicking emails to dupe BBC licence-fee payers.
Action Fraud, the UK national fraud reporting centre, has warned of a recent surge in scam TV licence refund messages sent to thousands of email addresses.
From September to October this year, more than 2,500 complaints were sent to Action Fraud notifying them of the scam. Nearly 800 of these reports occurred between September 1 and 20 - an average of 40 complaints a day.
The fake emails, sent by scammers in a bid to steal bank account and personal details, claim that TV Licensing have been trying to get hold of individuals regarding a refund for an overpayment, but due to invalid account details it has not been paid.
The fraudsters include links to convincing-looking cloned TV Licensing websites designed to harvest bank account and credit card details.
Victims who fall for the email are asked for a lengthy list of personal and financial information, including full name, date of birth, address, phone number, mother's maiden name and bank details.
Consumer group Which?, who are monitoring the situation, has warned that scammers often add details to a 'suckers lists' of people who are liable to fall for a future scams, commonly sold on the dark web.
A spokesman for Which? said: "It's unclear why there has been such a sharp increase in these scam emails, but we will be keeping an eye on the situation.
"If you've entered personal details, you need to be extra vigilant.
“If you receive any suspicious emails or odd postal messaging going forward, ignore them - they could be from a scammer hoping you'll fall for their next scam.
"Keep an eye on your credit report and bank accounts - scammers can use personal information to steal your identity and open new accounts or take out credit.”
