Settling down on the sofa with family to watch the latest blockbuster movie or live football on the TV, you are disturbed by a knock on the door.
It’s not a friendly neighbour knocking to say hello but a couple of burly policemen with a warrant to search your home.
In an exclusive interview with a senior police officer at the heart of a fresh wave of investigations, Money Mail has discovered this unwelcome visit could soon become all too real for some of the four million households believed to own an illegal fire stick.
The police have long been targeting the sellers of illegal fire sticks but they are now coming after middle-class homes who use these devices daily.
Police have told Money Mail that no illegal streamers are safe as they are drawing up lists of users and their addresses.
Millions of people are accessing the latest shows and watching live sports illegally using the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
It is a small device that plugs into the back or side of your TV – and can be hacked to unlock hundreds of premium channels, subscription services, the latest films and live Premier League football. The device itself is legitimate and is manufactured and sold by Amazon, but it can be tampered with or cloned by unscrupulous users or crooks who sell the devices on.
The police are running a major new crackdown on the use of these dodgy devices and today warn they are ramping up investigations.
An officer at the forefront of the campaign, whose identity must be kept a secret because it could tip off where police raids are coming next, tells us the police have new powers to track down homes where fire sticks are being used.
The police might soon be able to track you down through your bank statements, as banks are being forced to hand over customers’ details that prove these devices have been bought.
It is understood that when dealer homes are raided they are also on the lookout for lists of people they may have sold the illegal sticks to who could be quizzed by the police.
This will leave illegal fire stick users with nowhere to hide, he warns.
Some four million people in the UK could be illegally streaming, according to government body the Intellectual Property Office. So more than 7pc of us could be illegally watching TV
The officer says: ‘We are relentless in our determination to stop illegal streaming and bring offenders to justice.’
You might just get a rap on the knuckles with a stiff warning – but in some cases there will be a hefty fine of thousands of pounds or even a spell in prison.
Cyber experts also warn that passwords and internet connection could be compromised if you own a fake fire stick.
Here’s everything you need to know about the dangerous consequences of using one of these dodgy fire sticks.
Illegal fire stick users face a hefty fine
In a bid to crack down on fire stick abuse, the police have launched a nationwide blitz known as Operation Eider.
It means anyone in London, Cheshire, Kent, Sussex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, the East and West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Northumbria or North Yorkshire – as well as Scotland or Wales – could have their collar felt by a copper as part of a campaign to combat the crime.
The crackdown is co-ordinated by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), an anti-piracy organisation sponsored by the film and video industry, and police forces across the UK are getting involved.
The police can now enforce greater punishment for those found using these illegal devices.
Kieron Sharp, chairman of FACT, says: ‘We have a wide range of enforcement options – from issuing cease and desist notices to ‘knock and talk’ visits, through to full criminal prosecutions where appropriate.
‘We will take robust action against those involved – not only targeting sellers and distributors, but also those facilitating and profiting from the illegal activity.’
It means TV viewers tempted to buy an illegal stick because it saves them money could actually find themselves financially worse off – and threatened with jail.
Police have told Money Mail that no illegal streamers are safe as they are drawing up lists of users and their addresses. In some cases, users will face a hefty fine or a spell in prison
Two years ago, Jonathan Edge, then 29, from Liverpool, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for selling dodgy fire sticks on Facebook
Illegal fire stick users typically pay an annual subscription fee of £50 to access services for free. This opens the door to streaming services such as Netflix – that otherwise cost from £5.99 a month. Sports lovers can face an even higher bill with a Sky TV package including Sky Sports costing £35 a month. Amazon Prime Video demands £8.99 a month, Disney+ £5.99 a month, Apple TV+ £9.99 a month.
Access to all these streaming services is worth more than £500 a year, when you combine the cost of paying for each subscription individually.
But anyone found using these devices could face fines as high as £50,000 and, if you are caught without a valid TV licence, you risk a further penalty of up to £1,000. Using an illegal fire stick may also be considered an offence of ‘obtaining services dishonestly’ under section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006 – which can result in a prison sentence of up to five years.
The biggest sentences will be reserved for those involved in selling the illegal devices. Two years ago, Jonathan Edge, then 29, from Liverpool, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for selling dodgy fire sticks on Facebook. Last year, Sunny Kanda, 40, from Halifax, was jailed for two years for ‘supplying and distributing TV fire sticks and concealing bank transfers linked to criminal activity’.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, from the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit, says: ‘Illegal streaming might look like a quick way to save money, but it is a false economy that can end up costing people thousands of pounds.’
How legal fire sticks are being hacked
Fire sticks are slim devices that are smaller than a matchbox and can be plugged into a socket on the back of most modern TVs. They have the technology to allow channels and films to be streamed on the screen by connecting it via wi-fi signals to your main internet hub.
Popular fire sticks, as supplied by Amazon and Now TV, can be bought from about £40 and legitimately used – with free BBC iPlayer and ITVX services, as well as paid for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and others.
However, talking to Money Mail, the senior police officer involved in the investigation says: ‘Sticks can also be modified by criminals to provide unauthorised access to the same premium television content without users paying a subscription fee.’
Last year, Sunny Kanda, 40, from Halifax, was jailed for two years for ‘supplying and distributing TV fire sticks and concealing bank transfers linked to criminal activity’
Illegal access is gained by ‘jailbreaking’ the software and installing third-party media services that are able to scour the internet to find free links to content you might otherwise pay for, using software providers such as Kodi. They install so-called Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) apps that bypass the official subscription channels and view TV via a pirate website address often based abroad.
The officer adds: ‘It is not illegal to own a hacked fire stick – but it is a crime to stream without having paid the copyright holder.’
Bank statement investigations
The police could soon track you down through your bank statements if you have made any payments to an illegal fire stick seller.
In March, online bank Revolut was ordered to hand over names and addresses of more than 300 ‘dodgy box’ users to Sky by the Irish High Court after money was transferred to illegal streaming service provider David Dunbar, of County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland.
It potentially opens the door for police to investigate payments made to illegal fire stick providers – and you could well be in trouble if your bank account is on the list.
Sky refused to comment on what it might do with the information – but if the names were handed over to police with proof that they had purchased illegal fire sticks, they could get a knock on the door from the local bobby – and potentially receive a fine.
Matt Hibbert, group director of anti-piracy at TV for Sky, says: ‘People who watch illegal streams should know that it isn’t a victimless crime’
The first sign you may be in trouble is if the person you bought the fire stick from suddenly disappears or stops responding to messages. This may mean they have been caught by the police.
Some four million people in the UK could be illegally streaming, according to government body the Intellectual Property Office. With 55 million adults in Britain it means more than 7pc of us could be illegally watching TV.
Acting detective chief inspector Alethea Fowler of the Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit in South Wales warns: ‘Criminals rarely stop at just one income stream, and by purchasing illicit goods – such as an illegal streaming service fire stick – you are enabling further forms of criminality, often involving exploitation and harm.’
A knock-on effect is costs and subscription fees go up for others. This means that saving money by purchasing a dodgy fire stick ultimately pushes the prices up for legal TV viewers.
Criminals harvest bank account details
The police officer warns that your passwords and personal information could also be at risk if you use one of these devices.
He says: ‘The high-tech crooks can also harvest your personal information if they install malware on the sticks – which is done when you plug the dodgy software into the back of your TV to access streaming channels via your internet connection.
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‘Spyware software on the stick is able to read the personal information you provide and can lead to identity theft, where information about you – such as name, address, date of birth, credit card numbers and subscription login codes.’
These can be sold on the dark web for typically £30. The dark web is the term for illegal websites where criminals trade private details and website hacks. The criminals who buy the ID can then target you for fraud in a variety of ways, including ‘phishing’, where they impersonate others, such as a bank, to steal your money.
The policeman says: ‘The virtual private network provided on the dodgy fire sticks to hide your illegal streaming habits can also be used by criminal networks.
‘It includes software that creates an encrypted channel for internet traffic designed to protect online privacy and data. But users do not realise the criminals can also use your network channel for their own use – or to monitor your viewing habits. Your fire stick could be supporting other criminal activity.’
Matt Hibbert, group director of anti-piracy at TV for Sky, says: ‘People who watch illegal streams should know that it isn’t a victimless crime. Recent research by campaigner BeStreamWise advises nearly 65pc of illegal streamers have faced security scares like malware through these unlawful methods.’
