Fake TV Licensing emails and texts claim licence has expired and threaten prosecution

What is this scam?

A significant wave of phishing emails and texts impersonating TV Licensing is active in October 2026, falsely claiming the recipient's TV licence has expired or that automatic renewal has failed. Messages threaten prosecution or an immediate £1,000 fine unless the licence is renewed within 48 hours via an embedded link. The fraudulent sites harvest payment card details and personal information. TV Licensing never threatens immediate prosecution via text and never sends payment links by unsolicited email or SMS — any genuine renewal notice is personalised to the licence holder by name and directs them to tvlicensing.co.uk.

Example scam message

Red flags to look out for

• The message creates urgency — threatening a fine, missed delivery, or account closure.
• Links lead to unofficial domains that don't match the real company's website.
• You weren't expecting this message and can't verify the event it references.
• It asks you to confirm payment details or personal information via a link.
• The sender's number or email address doesn't match the company's official contact.

What to do if you receive this

1. Do not click links or call numbers provided in the message.
2. Contact the organisation directly using details from their official GOV.UK page.
3. Forward the message to 7726 or email report@phishing.gov.uk.
4. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk.