TV Licensing say I've been watching iPlayer

[SpamIAm]

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else - I've received an email from TV Licensing saying I've been watching iPlayer so I need to buy a TV licence. I 100% have not been watching iPlayer. I don't even have it installed on any devices 🤷‍♀️ The only option on the email is to buy a licence, even when you click the link that says to let them know if you think it's a mistake...

TV licensing always used to be incredibly aggressive. In the days when you didn't have to have a licence to watch pre-recorded TV, I didn't have a licence because all I every watched was pre-record, and they still constantly badgered me with letters. Every place I lived, loads of 'you are watching illegally and will be fined'. I've also found those sent to empty houses (when we moved in somewhere where there had been no one living for months).

I think it's just their tactic. It certainly used to be that you could ignore them quite happily - googling might tell you if that's still true.

You can complete a form to confirm that you don't watch
It's on the official TV license website

Bear in mind that TV licensing are renouned for their underhanded practices.

Anyone remember the vans that used to drive around claiming that they could detect if you had a tv. That was proven to be lies IIRC.

then there is their tactic of posting letters through letterboxes claiming you don’t have a licence and these are the details you need to bring to court, when actually they cannot take action against you unless they have actual proof that you have a television (not possible unless they have access to your property.

Some people are rightly prosecuted but most are just intimidated.

I am entitled to a concessionary licence on account of being visually impaired. While I was looking into obtaining this, a process which is not accessible since you have to print and sign a form and take to the post office whereas a full licence can be bought online, I had various threatening letters from them saying how I was going to court and these were the documents I needed etc. DS eventually became so concerned about it (he was about ten at the time and picked up one of the letters from the doormat) that I just went online and paid full price for the tv licence.

Ironic that the discressionary licence intended for people with a visual impairment can only be purchased through an entirely visual process....

You have to enter your television licence number to be able to use iPlayer now...so how on earth could you have been using it?

Yes I've had experience of their aggressive tactics in the past when they sent me a nice red letter saying that, because I'd ignored all their previous (non-existent) letters telling me to buy a tv licence, they'd be sending a warranted officer to my property. I actually had a tv licence, but you know, you can't let that get in the way of a good threatening letter.

Am I the only one intrigued by the meat club?

You are not.

@nemeton

You have to enter your television licence number to be able to use iPlayer now...so how on earth could you have been using it?

Not on mine, just checked! Just log in, click the box that says you have 1.

@nemeton

You don't, you just have to say you have one. I keep getting emails threatening me because I cancelled my licence (I moved in with dp who has one!) I ignore them

So there was a Halloween party, a group of vegetarians congregated, so we formed an opposing party (what can I say, we were teenagers, ie idiots). We've been inactive for a number of years now but no reason we can't accept new members if anyone's looking to share their passion for meat with likeminded people (although I must confess to eating a lot of meat-free meals these days...but don't tell the other members or they might try to overthrow me).

Change your iPlayer password or delete the account and contact TV Licensing directly to check it out with them.

I am interested in your meat club!

There is no way for them to find out what you have been watching I've never had a license I just go online and tell them I don't need one every 2 years never had any problems.

Ah, I don't have a licence, so I don't use iPlayer- I am going off what MIL was saying for hers when she needed remote support [cough]... she probably just needed to click the box then...

I wanna be in the meat club

Not sure what relevance my username has to anything

I expect the pp was thinking of the other meaning of "spam" - an annoying, unwanted communication, which is exactly what one doesn't want to see on a forum!

I love the idea of the meat club. I'll join!

I’ll be in the meat club.

Submitting chorizo as my current favourite.
Accompanying halloumi in a wrap.
Yum.

I'm a veggie but can I join your meat club? Or is that against the rules?

There is no way for them to find out what you have been watching

If you use iPlayer there is a log of what your account (ie eMail) has been watching and on what device.

If you use iPlayer there is a log of what your account (ie eMail) has been watching and on what device.

But if you were going to intentionally watch it without a licence, why would you use your own email address?. You can make up absolutely anything to "login" and you don't even need to verify the email address to start viewing.

I'm so pleased to see so much enthusiasm for Meat Club. There's no precedent for vegetarian member but what the heck, the more the merrier!

I logged into my iPlayer to change my password and it said "Hello Grandad" so mystery solved I guess 😂

On a laptop or PC, hover your mouse over the sender's name. What does it say?

@FrankieStein402

>There is no way for them to find out what you have been watching

If you use iPlayer there is a log of what your account (ie eMail) has been watching and on what device.

Its not a reliable way of knowing who does or doesn't have a TV licence though. DS1 is logged into iPlayer with his email address in his bedroom but doesn't have a TV licence registered to that email account as its in my name. So if they tried to tally an "actively using iPlayer" email account to a "has a TV licence" email address they'd think he was watching without a licence. Which he's not.

@SarahAndQuack

TV licensing always used to be incredibly aggressive. In the days when you didn't have to have a licence to watch pre-recorded TV, I didn't have a licence because all I every watched was pre-record, and they still constantly badgered me with letters. Every place I lived, loads of 'you are watching illegally and will be fined'. I've also found those sent to empty houses (when we moved in somewhere where there had been no one living for months).

I think it's just their tactic. It certainly used to be that you could ignore them quite happily - googling might tell you if that's still true.

Oh yes, years ago when I moved into a house with no kitchen no bathroom renovation project so no time for TV, and we didn't get one for months, but we had SO much hassle from licencing complete waste of my time it was cheaper to buy a black and white licence to shut them up. My dad had 2 houses for a while and moved his licence to the other he was too old to pay but they STILL hassled him. He refused to get a free one on principle

I used to get loads of threatening letters when I was a student living in my flat with no telly. I just ignored them for a few years until I moved and nothing ever came of it. Same in my first house until my now ExP moved in with a telly and he bought a license. No one ever came round.

I’ve heard that they can tell you are watching iplayer from your IP address. Not sure how true that is.

If you have received an email encouraging you to pay money, it is almost certainly a scam.

Do they know your name and address? How do they know your email?

Does it link to a website where they hope you will provide you bank account and other information?

TV Licensing send letters, not emails.

You haven't replied to it, have you?