BRITS are being warned that they could face jail time for using “dodgy” Fire Sticks that offer Sky Sports and Premier League games for as little as £6.
A growing number of people in the UK are believed to be switching to illegal streaming devices, but the Federation Against Copyright Theft has warned that this could lead to users having their ID stolen or their credit card details handed to criminals.
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Posts have begun flooding social media sites advertising modified Fire Sticks for just a few pounds.
According to The Mirror, one mobile number was used for over 800 Facebook posts, with Brits urged to contact the number via WhatsApp to get their hands on the illegal piece of tech.
Some posts advertised all Sky channels plus streaming sites such as Netflix and Disney Plus for as little as £2.50 a month.
In comparison, if you were to pay for Sky Sports, it would set you back by at least £50 a month.
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Some dodgy sellers are even claiming that their service is legal, with one fraudster claiming to be from a company called IPTV.
They claimed that the company is a “online service to provide channels on Fire Stick, smart TVs, android TVs, mobile phone as well.“
However, IPTV is just a general term for Internet Protocol Television.
And although may Brits are tempted by the budget prices of these illegal devices, the criminals providing them may end up in jail before they’ve had a chance to follow through on the deal.
Back in January, a Fire Stick scammer who was streaming illegal TV to thousands of people, was jailed for two years.
And Kieron Sharp, chairman of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) said that dodgy Fire Stick users are breaking the law too, and could end up being prosecuted.
According to FACT, watching an illegal stream is an offence under the Fraud Act 2006, and has a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
However, consumers are more at risk from the Malware that comes with illegally modified devices.
Kieron warned that scammers could use the devices to hack your bank account or even hijack your camera and microphone.
People should be warned about this”, he said.
Where to buy a Fire TV Stick
Fire TV Sticks are an easy way to add streaming to an older television. They’re manufactured by Amazon, but you can buy them from a number of different stores.
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“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.”
Amazon has said it has made changes to Fire Sticks to make it harder for criminals to modify them.
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.”
