BRITS illegally streaming Sky Sports and other premium TV on the cheap have been warned a common trick doesn’t protect them as widely believed.
Most people using modified Fire TV Sticks and other IPTV services to dodge costs tend to use a VPN.
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A VPN – or virtual private network – masks your real location from authorities by encrypting internet traffic.
But experts have warned that it doesn’t “guarantee complete anonymity”.
And all the more concerning, is it doesn’t protect you from scams that could raid your bank account either.
Illegal streaming sites are often riddled with dodgy malware from cyber fraudsters.
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A former illegal streamer recently told The Sun how thousands was accessed from his bank account seconds after signing up.
“It all seemed quite secure, so I didn’t even think at the time,” the anonymous 46-year-old said.
“After that, the payment was taken but there were all sorts of transactions on my bank account for quite a large amount of money which were on various times and various dates for different amounts.
“It’s scary really, they attempted thousands.”
According to BeStreamWise and McAfee, 57 per cent of illegal streamers believe using a VPN reduces the risk of negative consequences associated with online piracy.
But this is a myth.
“While VPNs can help secure your data in transit, they cannot protect you from giving out personal information on a malicious site, getting infected with malware and viruses, or guarantee complete anonymity,” experts explain.
“Over a third (34%) of illegal streamers doubt the dodgy box or stick they use is risky because they got it through someone they know. Regardless of who you purchase these from, jailbroken devices (which allow users to watch copyrighted content for free) unlock access to third-party and unverified apps which open the doors to harmful content, data breaches and data tracking.”
This can range from malware hidden in ads to sophisticated scams promising free content.
And many go “far beyond what an anti-virus tool can handle,” explained Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA at McAfee.
“That’s why it’s important to stay informed about the latest online threats and best practices, to better protect your online privacy, identity and money,” she said.
“Recent advances in AI are also making it harder to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t online, but scammers will always use a sense of urgency to try and catch you with your guard down, so be cautious and think twice before clicking links or sharing personal info.”
Research by BeStreamWise found that of those who have money stolen from their bank account, illegal streamers lose four times as much money to scams compared to those who don’t pirate content, about £5,486 vs £1,328 on average.
Warning over ‘jailbroken’ Fire Sticks
Illegal streaming can be delivered by a number of devices by one of the most common are ‘jailbroken’ Fire Sticks, which means a third-party media server software has been installed on to it.
The software most commonly used is called Kodi.
It can grant users unrestricted access to new features and apps the normal version of the device wouldn’t allow – but it is not legal to use in the UK.
But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free.
It is also illegal to buy or sell these modified devices which have become known as “fully-loaded” – a term that describes how the software has been altered to allow access to subscription-only channels.
“These devices are legal when used to watch legitimate, free to air, content,” the government said at the time.
“They become illegal once they are adapted to stream illicit content, for example TV programmes, films and subscription sports channels without paying the appropriate subscriptions.”
