Sports
Insider Reveals How Police Track ‘Dodgy’ Fire Stick Users Who Illegally Stream Sport
An insider has revealed how police can track ‘dodgy’ Fire Stick users who illegally stream sport. The use of Fire Sticks and other modified devices has increased in recent years, driven by a number of factors, including rising subscription costs from rights holders such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
Access to Premier League football remains perhaps the main motivation for those investing in the illegal technology, but broadcast companies losing revenue have intensified pressure on Amazon to take action. In the latest phase of crackdowns, police forces and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) have been seizing illegal Fire Sticks and making arrests.
According to The Athletic, around 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admit to using the device to watch illegal streams, which should make catching offenders relatively straightforward. But for those who continue to use the devices in private, new information has emerged revealing how police can still identify those responsible.
Potential Punishment For Using ‘Dodgy Fire Stick’ to Illegally Stream Sport Revealed
Amazon and sporting broadcasters are attempting to crack down on illegal usage of ‘dodgy Fire Sticks’, which can carry severe punishments.
Insider Reveals How FACT Are Tracking Down Illegal Streamers
An investigation by the Daily Mail has shed light on the crackdown after speaking to insiders familiar with the severity of the situation, as well as how users who illegally stream sport can be tracked. The intelligence-led investigation service FACT, which represents the UK’s pay-TV broadcasters and rights owners, is said to be “aggressive” in its strategy. The organisation’s chairman, Kieron Sharp, explained:
“You could liken us to a mini police force in that we are intelligence led. We do our own computer forensics. When we do a job with the police, and the computers are seized from whichever place has been raided, we take the computer forensic work on and provide that as evidence back to the police.”
FACT has built bespoke software and algorithms that sift through social media platforms such as Facebook, as well as message logs and device storage, for red flags. On Facebook, for example, a simple search for a login to access illegal sports streaming can bring up hundreds of posts. The report specifically names a group called Fire Stick Streaming, which has 3,000 members.
One advert, which has attracted a large number of replies, reads: “I have worldwide 24,000 channels with all the sports channels. You download the app on the device, I’ll send you guidelines, and then I’ll send you username and password URL to get the login info for app.” As such, catching those red-handed has been easy for FACT, while Sharp also revealed that, incredibly, a common search term is “illegal”.
Police Issue Warning Over Dangers of Illegal Streaming
Viewers pay on average £13.53 a month, or £162 a year, for dodgy set-top boxes to watch the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky, BT and Disney Plus. But, according to The Standard, four in ten viewers in the capital say that instead of IPTV devices saving them money, they’ve ended up being targeted by fraudsters.
Most victims suffered average financial losses of £1,418 after their personal information and bank details were stolen, while others even lost control of their home Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, one in ten reported losing more than £2,500, according to BeStreamWise – a cross-industry anti-piracy initiative. Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, of the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said back in November:
“This is a crime that diverts funds away from the entertainment industries – money that supports thousands of technical and support staff. At the same time, it exposes end users to the risks of data theft, cybercrime and fraud. This research is crucial for helping us understand those dangers and why initiatives like BeStreamWise matter.”
“Those who choose to consume Premier League matches through illegal streams risk more than just poor viewing quality,” a spokesperson from the league added.
“They expose themselves to serious threats, including malicious viruses that can steal personal data, hijack devices and lead to identity theft and financial fraud. Investigations and prosecutions have also repeatedly uncovered the links between piracy operations and wider serious criminal activity.”
