TV Licence scam emails and texts: is that message real?

“We couldn’t take your latest payment.” “You are due a refund.” TV Licensing says its emails include the name on your licence or part of your postcode, it only emails about payments if you’ve missed one, and it would never text you to say you’re due a refund. Paste the message below to see where its link really goes before you tap.

By Avinash Jetwani · Updated 31 October 2026 · 4 min read

Check a TV Licensing message now

Check one now

Paste the TV Licensing message

Copy the whole text or email and paste it here, or paste just the link. Peekray picks out the links (up to 8) and shows where each one really goes, with a clear answer such as Safe, Check first, Suspicious or Scam.

On a computer with Peekray’s Chrome extension, just rest the pointer on the link. TV Licensing is one of the big names Peekray knows, so it warns about many sites that use its name without being its own.

or type or paste it here

Only the web addresses are sent for checking. Screenshots and who sent it are read on your device, and our server never reads or keeps the rest of your message.

Got a QR code?

Check it before you open it. The code is read in your browser, and only a web address in it is sent for checking.

What they look like

A refund to claim, and a payment that failed

Made-up examples based on real scams. Their links end in .example, so they lead nowhere: no one can own a .example address. The phone number is one kept for fiction.

  • A refund, by text

    TV Licensing says it would never text you to say you’re due a refund.

  • A failed payment

    Real TV Licensing emails use your name or part of your postcode.

The facts

How TV Licensing really contacts you

6,000+reports of fake TV Licensing emails reached Action Fraud in just two weeks. (Action Fraud, January 2024)

  • Email

    Your name, not “Dear Customer”

    TV Licensing says its emails include the name on the licence and/or part of your postcode, if you’ve given it. It warns that many scams use only your email address or say “Dear Customer”.

  • Payments

    Only if you missed one

    TV Licensing says it only emails you about payments if you’ve missed one, and won’t ask for card details for a missed payment until you’ve signed in with your licence number, last name and postcode.

  • Text

    No refunds or bank details by text

    TV Licensing says it would never text you to say you’re entitled to a refund, or ask you for your bank details by text message.

  • Links

    tvlicensing.co.uk

    TV Licensing names tvlicensing.co.uk, tvl.co.uk, spp.tvlicensing.co.uk and 75plan.tvlicensing.co.uk as its web addresses. Its emails come from addresses such as donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk, but it warns that fakes can copy those, so check the link too.

Spot it

Four signs of a fake TV Licensing message

  1. 01

    “Dear Customer”, or just your email address

    TV Licensing’s emails use the name on your licence and/or part of your postcode. It warns that many scams use only your email address or say “Dear Customer”.

  2. 02

    A refund to claim through a link

    TV Licensing says it would never process a refund through an email like “click below to access your refund” that then asks for your card or bank details, and would never text you to say you’re due one.

  3. 03

    An urgent payment

    TV Licensing warns that scam emails often say you need to make an urgent payment. It only emails about payments if you’ve missed one: sign in at tvlicensing.co.uk yourself to check.

  4. 04

    A link that isn’t tvlicensing.co.uk or tvl.co.uk

    Read the site name from the right: tvlicensing.co.uk.renew‑now.example is really renew‑now.example. Paste the message above to see where the link goes.

More on scam emails

Got one?

What to do with a TV Licensing message

  1. 1

    Don’t tap the link or reply.

  2. 2

    To check your licence or a payment, type tvlicensing.co.uk into your browser yourself and sign in with your licence number, last name and postcode.

  3. 3

    Report it (see below), then delete it.

Entered your card details? What to do now

Report it

Where to report a TV Licensing scam (UK)

In the UK

An email
Forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk, then delete it.
A text
Forward it to 7726. It’s free.
The fake website
Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre so it can investigate.
Lost money
Tell your bank, then report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Let Peekray do it

Check the next “TV Licensing” email before you tap.

Add to Chrome, it’s freeCheck on your phone

FAQ

Common questions

Is a TV Licence refund email real?

Be very wary. TV Licensing says it would never process a refund through an email like “click below to access your refund” that then asks for your card or bank details, and it warns about emails promising money or refunds. To check, type tvlicensing.co.uk into your browser yourself and sign in, or paste the email into Peekray to see where its link goes.

Would TV Licensing text me about a refund?

No. TV Licensing says it would never send you a text to say you’re entitled to a refund, or ask for your bank details by text message. Forward a text like that to 7726, then delete it.

What email address does TV Licensing use?

TV Licensing says it sends its emails from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk, and also lists tvlfieldresearchteam@tvlicensing.co.uk, noreply@paypoint.com (its TVL Pay app) and mailing@themisglobal.co.uk (Themis Recoveries). It warns that recent fakes use its real addresses, though, so a real-looking sender isn’t proof. Paste the email into Peekray to see where its links go.

An email says my TV Licence payment failed. Is it real?

It may not be. TV Licensing only emails about payments if you’ve missed one, and won’t ask for your card details until you’ve signed in with your licence number, last name and postcode. Don’t use the email’s link: type tvlicensing.co.uk into your browser yourself and sign in to check.

I entered my card details on a fake TV Licensing site. What now?

Call your bank now on the number on the back of your card (in the UK you can also dial 159), and tell them you entered your card details on a scam site. Expect follow-up calls pretending to be your bank, and hang up on them. Peekray’s guide to what to do after a scam link takes you through the rest.

Does Peekray read my messages?

No. When you paste a message, Peekray picks out the links on your device and sends only those web addresses to its server to check. The rest of the message isn’t sent.

Sources

Where this advice comes from

How it’s checked

How we check these guides

The advice here is checked against the sources above, and the scam messages in the examples are made up. Guides are drafted and fact-checked with the help of AI, claim by claim against those sources, before they’re published. This guide is by Avinash Jetwani, who makes Peekray. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@peekray.com.

More on how the guides are checked

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