A new website has appeared that claims to show people how to save the cost of the annual TV licence fee.
The site, tvlicence.co.uk, which we won't be linking to, states the following: "This is (sic) website is 100% dedicated to keeping you from the requirement to
have a TV licence. The document we are selling details the specific
ways you can still watch your favourite programs (sic) and save the £145.50
yearly fee!"
Did you spot the key word? Even if you didn't the flamboyant spelling, combined with a mobile contact number, should be setting alarm bells ringing.
It appears the people behind this website are selling an ebook that explains how to cancel the TV licence. The book, which might even be cannibalised from our own, can be yours for the princely sum of only £25.
You heard right: £25 for information that is freely available on this blog, plus a range of other places, totally free of charge. It doesn't matter how well (or not) their book is written, it's difficult to imagine how anyone could justify charging such a exorbitant fee.
As if being stung for £25 isn't painful enough, the website's privacy policy says that unsuspecting users might be asked to provide the following information:
- Your name.
- Your TV licence number or membership number for cash payment schemes.
- Your postal address(es).
- Your telephone number.
- Information about whether or not you use a TV at an address.
- Your National Insurance number (if applying for a free over 75 licence).
- Other contact details such as an email address.
Suffice to say we do not encourage anyone to use a service that sells information freely available elsewhere on the web. Please do your own research and avoid paying through the nose.
If anyone wants any advice on cancelling their TV licence they can read our earlier post on the subject or download TV Licensing Laid Bare - the original and best FREE TV Licensing ebook.
Edit (3/10/14): Reviewing this suspect website this evening, we find that it has been removed and replaced with an "under construction" message. Perhaps the owner has a guilty conscience?
Edit (3/10/14): Reviewing this suspect website this evening, we find that it has been removed and replaced with an "under construction" message. Perhaps the owner has a guilty conscience?
11 comments:
there is little in this world that pisses me off more than people wanting to make money from other people, but pretending your are doing them a favor, i will be making a video regarding these scumbags and try to find out who is behind it.
Thanks for your comment Steven.
Please note that we have to approve comments individually - that's why the don't appear immediately.
NO PROBLEM, the guy has just removed the phone number and the address from the website, lucky i made the video before he did:-)
also done a check on who owns the website, just uploading it now, it will be on youtube, steveno`man, thebag people ,steven isback with in the hour.
i just rang him , when i asked about the website he said i had the wrong number i started to read out the number and he put the phone down.
Here is the info from a whois report on the domain:
Queried whois.nic.uk with "tvlicence.co.uk"...
Domain name:
tvlicence.co.uk
Registrant:
Identity Protect Limited
Registrant type:
UK Limited Company, (Company number: 7407280)
Registrant's address:
PO Box 795
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 9GA
United Kingdom
Data validation:
Registrant contact details validated by Nominet on 07-May-2014
Registrar:
Webfusion Ltd t/a 123-reg [Tag = 123-REG]
URL: http://www.123-reg.co.uk
Relevant dates:
Registered on: 10-Jun-1999
Expiry date: 10-Jun-2015
Last updated: 15-Sep-2014
Registration status:
Registered until expiry date.
Name servers:
ns153.securenet-server.net
ns154.securenet-server.net
WHOIS lookup made at 14:11:36 28-Sep-2014
Network Whois record
Whois query for 68.171.223.179 failed: TimedOut
Queried whois.arin.net with "n 68.171.223.179"...
NetRange: 68.171.208.0 - 68.171.223.255
CIDR: 68.171.208.0/20
OriginAS: AS36444, AS2828
NetName: ACENETMI
NetHandle: NET-68-171-208-0-1
Parent: NET-68-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
RegDate: 2009-02-26
Updated: 2012-03-02
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-68-171-208-0-1
OrgName: ACENET, INC.
OrgId: ACENE
Address: 24445 Northwestern Highway Ste 225
City: Southfield
StateProv: MI
PostalCode: 48075
Country: US
RegDate: 2007-05-14
Updated: 2014-05-06
Comment: http://acenet-inc.net
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/org/ACENE
ReferralServer: rwhois://rwhois.acenet-inc.net:4321
OrgNOCHandle: NOC2570-ARIN
OrgNOCName: Network Operations Center
OrgNOCPhone: +1-248-327-4331
OrgNOCEmail: noc@acenet-inc.net
OrgNOCRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/NOC2570-ARIN
OrgAbuseHandle: ACENE-ARIN
OrgAbuseName: ACENET ABUSE
OrgAbusePhone: +1-248-327-4331
OrgAbuseEmail: abuse@acenet-inc.net
OrgAbuseRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/ACENE-ARIN
OrgTechHandle: ACENE1-ARIN
OrgTechName: ACENET ENGINEERING
OrgTechPhone: +1-248-327-4331
OrgTechEmail: engineering@acenet-inc.net
OrgTechRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/ACENE1-ARIN
RAbuseHandle: ACENE-ARIN
RAbuseName: ACENET ABUSE
RAbusePhone: +1-248-327-4331
RAbuseEmail: abuse@acenet-inc.net
RAbuseRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/ACENE-ARIN
RTechHandle: ACENE1-ARIN
RTechName: ACENET ENGINEERING
RTechPhone: +1-248-327-4331
RTechEmail: engineering@acenet-inc.net
RTechRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/ACENE1-ARIN
RNOCHandle: NOC2570-ARIN
RNOCName: Network Operations Center
RNOCPhone: +1-248-327-4331
RNOCEmail: noc@acenet-inc.net
RNOCRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/NOC2570-ARIN
The guy behind the TVLicence.co.uk is sounding more and more like a shyster!
This network server looks bit like a typical Linux running server.
The Geo IP I recieved from looking up the IP address is here.
http://www.geoiptool.com/en/?IP=68.171.223.179
Its output is here
Host Name: tvlicence.co.uk
IP Address: 68.171.223.179
Country: United States united states
Country code: US (USA)
Region: Michigan
City: Southfield
Postal code: 48075
Calling code: +1
Longitude: -83.2307
Latitude: 42.465
As the Server is appears to be in america. I did not use the site the user used above its strange how I got USA with this one.
THE MORE I LOOK IN TO THIS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE GUY HAS COPY AND PAISTED THE HOLE OF THE TERMS AN CONDITIONS FROM THE TV LICENSING WEBSITE, AND HE WILL PROBABLY SENT THE LINK TO YOUR FREE EBOOK IF YOU GIVE HIM £25.00,
also in the opening page he has a quote about incorrectly filling in passport application, this guy is a chancer hoping to pocket some money, i have heard that his mobile number has been added to all the cold caller sites on the inter net, and the accident claim sits and the text competition sites, but as i didnt do it, i cant say fro deffo but i am 99.9% sure :-)
Reverse Phone Numbers give this information.
The Person's phone number could been used by some asswipe.
Country: United Kingdom
Date/time: 28th of September 2014
Prefix: 07756
Type of number: Mobile phone number
Mobile network operator: O2
well produced scam website looks very convincing,
some preople are def going to be takein in by it and ripped off
That's what makes his site even more puzzling. What is his doing/offering, a way to get around paying for a TV licence or helping you apply for one?! It looks like whatever he was trying to do, his OCD kicked in and he went crazy. Who knows?! Whatever happens, I hope no one falls for his little scheme. The things people do for money these days.
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