Latest news with #KieronSharp
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Fire Stick users warned they 'really could' face jail over dodgy devices
Fire Stick users warned they 'really could' face jail over dodgy devices The maximum penalty is five years in prison and the head of the agency cracking down said the threat is real The remote control of an Amazon Fire TV Stick An urgent warning has been issued to millions of people in the UK who have Amazon Fire Sticks loaded with specific software—as they could face prison. The head of the Federation Against Copyright Theft said people who use Fire Sticks for illegal streaming also risk identity theft, fraud and damage to their TVs and tech thanks to malware. The criminals who sell you the pirate services could even access any camera or microphone attached to your TV or Amazon devices - recording you and your family in your home without you knowing. An investigation by The Mirror found tens of thousands of adverts for 'pirate' services openly posted on Facebook. Many are for doctored Fire Sticks which offer bundles of thousands of channels for a few pounds a month. One UK mobile number is being used across 800 Facebook Marketplace ads for Fire Stick 'packages' for as little as £6. Customers are urged to contact the criminals via WhatsApp, and the adverts are posted by over 100 different Facebook users, all accounts created in the last few months, and located across the country. One seller is offereing 'All Sky channels, all sports channels, all football events, Netflix, HBO, Disney +, Amazon Prime and Apple' for as little as £2.50 a month. Prices started at £35 for a six month subscription to £150 for a five-year deal. A football fan wanting to follow all the Premier League action legally would need to pay nearly £50 a month for the cheapest Sky, TNT and Prime deals. Our crooked seller claimed to be from a company called IPTV, claiming: 'It's [an] online service to provide channels on fire stick, smart TVs, android TVs, mobile phone as well. We can provide subscriptions to other countries like Australia, USA and Canada.' Article continues below In January, a man streaming illegal TV to thousands from his home in Birmingham was jailed for two years. Criminals are also harvesting the personal details of thousands of their customers, including their card payment information. Kieron Sharp, chairman of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, said that in the last five years, FACT has been involved in 23 prosecutions leading to 36 criminals being jailed for an average of nearly three years each. In January, Sunny Kumar Kanda from Halifax, West Yorks, was jailed for two years at York Crown Court for supplying modified Fire Sticks through a Facebook group with nearly 4,000 members. In December, FACT led a two-week crackdown with police from 15 forces which targeted 30 illegal services. Kieron said: 'This has been a problem forever, since the days of pirated video cassettes and DVDs. But the rise of streaming has made things easier for the criminal in the same way as it has made things easier for the legal consumer. Is it any more of a problem than it was years ago? That's very difficult to say. There's no complete picture of the landscape.' The Intellectual Property Office has estimated that 6.2m Brits access illegally streamed TV and 3.9m people watch pirated live sport. Kieron said: 'We have adopted the attitude over the years that we would rather not criminalise the end user. 'If we take out a gang and they have a customer database, we would normally write to the consumers on that customer list telling them 'What you are doing is breaking the law and you will have to stop'. We would like to think that they would start paying for that content. 'But it is entirely possible that consumers could get swept up in our investigations. It would be a discussion for everybody involved in the business to see if that is an area that we would want to go down. It could happen, it really could. I would never say to any of the consumers through the messaging that we do that they are not going to get prosecuted because that just isn't correct.' When 29-year-old illegal Fire Stick seller Jonathan Edge, from Liverpool, was jailed for more than three years in November, he was also sentenced to two years and three months in prison for personally accessing and viewing the pirated content he distributed. FACT said watching an illegal stream was an offence under the Fraud Act 2006, with a maximum penalty of five year's imprisonment. Fraudsters can also raid your bank account, steal your identity and even hijack your camera and microphone. 'There is a risk from using these devices, it is not just us saying this,' Kieron said. 'People should be warned about this. There's a real risk of having your identity stolen or similar. If you give over your credit card details, you are giving them to criminals. 'They could get access to the camera on your TV, if it has one, or microphone. There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices. Some people set them up just to get your personal details.' A recent report by Enders Analysis found three in five who used a physical device for piracy in the last 12 months used a Fire Stick, according to Sky. Amazon said it had made changes to Fire TV to make it harder to stream pirated content and that it warned customers against 'sideloaded apps '. An Amazon spokesperson said: 'Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers. Article continues below 'We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.'
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Scots warned of dire consequences of using modified Amazon Fire Sticks
Sophisticated scam operations selling the illegal devices were found operating on social media, with thousands of ads. Millions of people in the UK using modified Amazon Fire Sticks to illegally stream TV programming have been warned they could be prosecuted for taking part in funding international piracy gangs. The caution comes from Kieron Sharp, a former detective with the City of London Police, who is now chairing Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and its fight against the fraud, which costs an estimated £21 billion a year. An increasing number of Brits are believed to be using the illegal devices, but also risk identity theft, criminals stealing their bank details, and malware viruses infecting their personal devices. It is estimated that 6.2 million people illegally stream TV, and 3.2 million access pirated live sport. Our sister title The Mirror carried out an investigation into the fraudulent business of selling the modified Fire Sticks. Tens of thousands of adverts are posted publicly on Facebook, offering thousands of TV channels for just a few pounds a month. In one case, a single UK mobile number was used in 800 ads on the platform offering "packages" for as little as £6. Customers are told to contact the criminal sellers on WhatsApp. The entire process suggests a sophisticated scam operation that expects its ads to be removed and linked accounts blocked. One seller offered 'All Sky channels, all sports channels, all football events, Netflix, HBO, Disney +, Amazon Prime and Apple' for as little as £2.50 a month, with subscriptions starting at £35 for six months, or £150 for five years. In comparison, anyone wanting to follow all the Premier League matches legally would have to shell out nearly £50 a month for the cheapest offers. The seller, who claimed to be from a company called IPTV, 'Don't worry, we are providing services all over the UK", in an attempt to claim their service was legal. IPTV is a generic term for Internet Protocol Television. They added: 'It's [an] online service to provide channels on fire stick, smart TVs, android TVs, mobile phone as well. We can provide subscriptions to other countries like Australia, USA and Canada.' However, there is no guarantee those behind the fraud will be around long enough to close the deal. In January, a man streaming illegally to thousands from his Birmingham home was jailed for two years. Meanwhile, criminals are mining thousands of people's personal data, including card details, and can infect their devices with malware. Kieron Sharp said that those who use the illegal streaming services are also breaking the law and risk prosecution. FACT is assisting in exposing gangs like those on Facebook, with 36 people since jailed for an average of almost three years each. Kieron, who is also a former head of the economic crime team at Interpol, said: 'This has been a problem forever, since the days of pirated video cassettes and DVDs. But the rise of streaming has made things easier for the criminal in the same way as it has made things easier for the legal consumer. Is it any more of a problem than it was years ago? That's very difficult to say. There's no complete picture of the landscape.' He added: 'If we take out a gang and they have a customer database, we would normally write to the consumers on that customer list telling them 'What you are doing is breaking the law and you will have to stop'. We would like to think that they would start paying for that content. 'But it is entirely possible that consumers could get swept up in our investigations. It would be a discussion for everybody involved in the business to see if that is an area that we would want to go down. It could happen, it really could. I would never say to any of the consumers through the messaging that we do that they are not going to get prosecuted because that just isn't correct.' Sunny Kumar Kanda from Halifax was jailed for two years for supplying modified Fire Sticks via a Facebook group consisting of over 4,000 members. Fellow seller Jonathan Edge from Liverpool was sentenced to more than three years, with a further sentence of two years and three months for viewing the content he distributed to be served immediately after. However, the more immediate risk comes from the potential malicious software from illegal streaming. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Kieron said: 'There is a risk from using these devices, it is not just us saying this. People should be warned about this. There's a real risk of having your identity stolen or similar. If you give over your credit card details, you are giving them to criminals. 'They could get access to the camera on your TV, if it has one, or microphone. There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices. Some people set them up just to get your personal details.' A recent report by Enders Analysis accused Amazon's £25 Fire Stick of allowing 'plug-and-play piracy', with three in five who used a physical device for piracy in the last 12 months choosing the Fire Stick, according to Sky. Amazon said it had made changes to Fire TV to make streaming illegal content more difficult. An Amazon spokesperson said: 'Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers. 'We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Urgent jail warning for millions of Brits using modified Amazon Fire Sticks
A Mirror investigation has found thousands of ads from criminals on Facebook Marketplace as industry vows crackdown on illegal streaming costing it billions. Millions of illegal streamers in the UK using modified Amazon Fire Sticks are being warned they could face prosecution for their role in funding international piracy gangs. The warning comes from the former London detective heading the Federation Against Copyright Thefts' fight against the multi-billion pound fraud. Growing numbers of Brits are believed to be turning to illegal TV streams but they risk ID theft, losing their credit card details to criminals and malware viruses infecting their devices. Illegal TV streaming is estimated to cost up to £21 billion a year and many of the illegal streamers in the UK are using cheap modified Amazon Fire Sticks. We found tens of thousands of adverts for their pirate services openly posted on Facebook. Many are for doctored Firesticks which offer bundles of thousands of channels for a few pounds a month. We found a single UK mobile number being used across 800 Facebook Marketplace ads for Fire Stick 'packages' for as little as £6. Customers are urged to contact the criminals via Whatsapp and the adverts are posted by over 100 different Facebook users, all accounts created in the last few months, and located across the country, from Kendal in Cumbria to Guildford in Surrey. It points to a sophisticated scam operation that is expecting its ads could be taken down and accounts blocked. When we contacted one seller we were offered 'All Sky channels, all sports channels, all football events, Netflix, HBO, Disney +, Amazon Prime and Apple' for as little as £2.50 a month. Prices started at £35 for a six month subscription to £150 for a five-year deal. In comparison, a football fan wanting to follow all the Premier League action legally would need to pay nearly £50 a month for the cheapest Sky, TNT and Prime deals. Our crooked seller falsely claimed their service was legal: 'Don't worry, we are providing services all over the UK.' They claimed to be from a company called IPTV, although this is just a general term for Internet Protocol Television, claiming: 'It's [an] online service to provide channels on fire stick, smart TVs, android TVs, mobile phone as well. We can provide subscriptions to other countries like Australia, USA and Canada.' But these alluring offers have a sting in the tail. There is no guarantee the criminals will be around long enough to honour the deal. In January, a man streaming illegal TV to thousands from his residential house in Birmingham was jailed for two years. Meanwhile, criminals are harvesting the personal details of thousands, their card payment information and gaining the ability to infect their smart TV, mobile phone and laptop with malware. Kieron Sharp, chairman of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, told us that users are also breaking the law and could be prosecuted. FACT is helping prosecute gangs like the ones we found on Facebook. In the last five years, FACT has been involved in 23 prosecutions leading to 36 criminals being jailed for an average of nearly three years each. In January, Sunny Kumar Kanda from Halifax, West Yorks, was jailed for two years at York Crown Court for supplying modified Fire Sticks through a Facebook group with nearly 4,000 members. In December, FACT led a two-week crackdown with police from 15 forces which targeted 30 illegal services. Kieron, a former senior City of London Police detective and former head of the economic crime team at Interpol, said: 'This has been a problem forever, since the days of pirated video cassettes and DVDs. But the rise of streaming has made things easier for the criminal in the same way as it has made things easier for the legal consumer. Is it any more of a problem than it was years ago? That's very difficult to say. There's no complete picture of the landscape.' The Intellectual Property Office has estimated that 6.2m Brits access illegally streamed TV and 3.9m people watch pirated live sport. Kieron added: 'We have adopted the attitude over the years that we would rather not criminalise the end user. 'If we take out a gang and they have a customer database, we would normally write to the consumers on that customer list telling them 'What you are doing is breaking the law and you will have to stop'. We would like to think that they would start paying for that content. 'But it is entirely possible that consumers could get swept up in our investigations. It would be a discussion for everybody involved in the business to see if that is an area that we would want to go down. It could happen, it really could. I would never say to any of the consumers through the messaging that we do that they are not going to get prosecuted because that just isn't correct.' As an indication of the possible consequences for users of these services, when 29-year-old illegal Fire Stick seller Jonathan Edge, from Liverpool, was jailed for more than three years in November, he was also sentenced to two years and three months in prison for personally accessing and viewing the pirated content he distributed, to be served concurrently. FACT told us that watching an illegal stream was an offence under the Fraud Act 2006, with a maximum penalty of five year's imprisonment. But there is a more immediate risk from Malware - or malicious software - that comes with doctored devices or illegal streams. Fraudsters could raid your bank account, steal your identity and even hijack your camera and microphone. 'There is a risk from using these devices, it is not just us saying this,' he explained. 'People should be warned about this. There's a real risk of having your identity stolen or similar. If you give over your credit card details, you are giving them to criminals. 'They could get access to the camera on your TV, if it has one, or microphone. There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices. Some people set them up just to get your personal details.' A recent report by Enders Analysis accused Amazon's £25 Fire Stick of allowing 'plug-and-play piracy', with three in five who used a physical device for piracy in the last 12 months choosing the Fire Stick, according to Sky. Amazon said it had made changes to Fire TV to make it harder to stream pirated content and that it warned customers against 'sideloaded apps '. An Amazon spokesperson said: 'Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers. 'We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon's Fire Stick enables ‘industrial scale' piracy', report warns
Amazon's Fire Stick streaming device is enabling piracy on an 'industrial scale', according to a new report. Research by Enders Analysis found that more than 50 per cent of people in the UK who have watched pirated material on a physical device in 2025 used an Amazon product. The Amazon Fire Stick, which plugs into TVs to give access to platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, can be modified to deliver illegal live streams of sporting events like Premier League matches. According to the report, this trend is costing 'billions of dollars in piracy' through lost broadcaster revenues. Other big tech firms, including Google and Meta, were accused in the report of 'ambivalence and inertia' for allowing the problem to continue. 'Big tech is both friend and foe in solving the piracy problem,' the report's authors noted. 'Conflicting incentives harm consumer safety by providing easy discovery of illegal pirated services, and reduced friction through low-cost hardware such as the Amazon Fire Stick.' Amazon said in a statement that it was 'vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy' and that it has made changes to Fire Sticks to deter people from streaming illegal content. "Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers," an Amazon spokesperson said. Recent figures have shown digital piracy to be on the rise across the UK and Europe, with financial hardships and increasingly costly and fractured streaming space cited as factors for the resurgence. It has resulted in a renewed crackdown against online piracy, with digital rights holders teaming up with law enforcement to catch those responsible. Last year, two men were imprisoned for selling reconfigured Amazon Fire Sticks, which were loaded with a bypass to watch sport and movie streaming services for free. 'These cases highlight the importance of protecting legitimate providers, as well as the significant impact that coordinated law enforcement efforts can have on combating digital piracy,' Kieron Sharp, CEO of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), told The Independent at the time. 'The message is very clear: if you sell a device that provides access to content that is not licensed to you or owned by you, you could face criminal investigation, prosecution and conviction.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
