MEMBERS of the public have been warned against scams after the BBC announced it is scrapping free TV licences for over 75s.

The BBC has said that no one will be expected to pay for a new licence until they have been contacted via letter from TV Licensing.

Age UK, which has a branch in Dorchester, has put out a statement advising anyone over 75 to ignore any emails or letters they may receive asking them to pay their TV licence as it may be a scam.

They will update the public when the BBC send out the official letters to confirm what they look like.

The charity has issued advice on how to detect a potential scam email.

The sender may have an unusual address which doesn’t look like a usual company account, the email may not use your name or an incorrect customer ID number and it may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

If you would like to talk to someone, contact Age UK North, South and West Dorset on 01305 269444.