Police SHUT DOWN sellers of ‘dodgy Fire Sticks’ – which many followers use to illegally stream Premier League soccer – as a part of widespread crackdown
Vendors of ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Sticks are reportedly suspending their services after the police declared war on the illegal devices.
An investigation in Scotland has revealed that providers have essentially cut off their services – leaving their underhand customers fuming.
For years, illegal streamers have watched live sport and other premium content using jailbroken Fire Sticks – adjusted versions of the legal product released by Amazon.
In June, Daily Mail Sport reported that as many as 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admitted to using the device for illegal streaming purposes.
But an investigation by the Sunday Post shows how in just one region of Scotland, South Lanarkshire, three illegal operations have closed down as it is ‘too risky’ to continue amid the police’s work.
Each of the vendors has hundreds of customers.
Vendors of ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Sticks are ending their services due to the police crackdown
A crackdown on ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Sticks is targeting a range of areas across the UK
One said: ‘Out the blue my Fire Stick just stopped working.
‘When I contacted the seller, I was told that things were too risky at the moment and that they have had to stop their services until they work out new ways to avoid being caught.
‘Everyone knows they shouldn’t be using these devices, but it is still very disappointing that I won’t be able to see the football or many of my favourite films over Christmas, and I have friends and family who are in the same boat.’
One customer even asked for a refun but was told: ‘We are not Marks & Spencer. We don’t do refunds or returns.’
FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft) has been teaming up with police across the UK to sniff out and punish those who illegally access what everybody else pays for.
Kieron Sharp, chairman of FACT, said: ‘We welcome any reduction in illegal services operating in Scotland or anywhere else in the UK.
‘People should never buy so-called “fully loaded’ or ‘pre-configured” Fire Sticks as they can expose users to malware, fraud and the very real risk of prosecution.’
The authorities are keen to stop the modified devices being used as they are estimated to cost broadcasters and sports bodies billions per year.
It is believed that a live football game can draw ‘tens of thousands’ of viewers to illegal streams
Tottenham
V
Liverpool
*18+, excludes NI. Terms and conditions apply
Around 59 per cent of UK Fire Stick owners admit to using the device to watch illegal streams
Indeed, digital piracy costs the UK economy up to £7billion a year, according to a study by the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence.
In October, Amazon released a brand-new Fire Stick model which will make it very difficult to watch ‘fully loaded’ content.
In November, Daily Mail Sport revealed how chiefs are going about their investigations. Tech-savvy criminals are up against Premier League investigators armed with forensics, private prosecutions and police raids.
The business of illegal sports streaming is a lucrative one. In July, 36-year-old Stephen Woodward was jailed for three years after making £1.1million from three illegal streaming sites over a seven-year period.
Following repeated alerts from the Premier League in recent years, there has been a major focus on tackling illegal streaming in the UK.
This has led to a string of arrests, including one man based in Halifax earlier this year, with Sonny Kanda jailed for two years after cheating legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 across an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022.
Research in 2023 by the Intellectual Property Office claimed that nearly four million people in the UK had illegally streamed live sport in the previous year.
In the 2023-24 season, it was estimated that fans had to pay around £870 each year in TV subscriptions if they wished to see all televised Premier League games.
