Latest news with #PoliceIntellectualPropertyCrimeUnit
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Illegal streaming website showing Hollywood movies BEFORE they're released is closed down after Brit is arrested
A SITE used to distribute movies and TV shows illegally has been shut down in the latest piracy crackdown. Police arrested a 47-year-old man from 2 Two unreleased movies were seized during the raid Credit: Alamy 2 Man accused of using a file sharing torrent website to distribute the movies illegally Credit: Alamy The individual is accused of distributing thousands of films, TV series and music on a file sharing torrent site without permission. Two recent Hollywood films that were leaked before their official release dates were a part of the content haul, officials said. His home was raided on April 29, where police seized two laptops and several hard drives for further examination, as well as a large quantity of discs. The man has since been released under investigation. Read more about streaming "This operation serves as a warning to anyone thinking of uploading copyrighted material to pirate sites," said Detective Constable Jason Theobald, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police. "This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative industries, money that not only supports artists, but thousands of technical and support staff working in this sector." The move follows a number of arrests to stamp out piracy in recent months. In January, Gary McNally, 55, was sentenced to two years and nine months for known as Each Online. Most read in Tech The service provided illegal access to Sky Entertainment, Sky Sports and Sky Movie channels, as well as content from international broadcasters, to thousands of people. "As technology continues to evolve, so do the threats to creative content," said Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association. "This decisive enforcement action reinforces the message that piracy is not a victimless crime– it damages creators, disrupts legitimate businesses, and endangers consumers. "We are proud to stand with PIPCU and our partners to protect creative industries and ensure audiences around the world can enjoy stories in a safe, legal, and secure way." RISKS FROM ILLEGAL STREAMING AND DOWNLOADS People streaming content illegally are at risk of fraud and other dangers when using dodgy TV devices. But that's not the only possible consequence. They can slow down your broadband connection and affect other gadgets around your home too. "Illegal streaming isn't just unsafe, it's actively harmful," said Liz Bales, CEO of the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), and The Industry Trust for IP. "Devices used for piracy are often infected with hidden malware, leading to crashing apps, severely disrupted performance, and compromised home networks. "This puts personal data and entire households at risk." Image credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
23-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
Police chief warns illegal Sky Sports streamers ‘if you carry on we will come and arrest you' amid rise in dodgy boxes
POLICE have warned Brits of the huge criminal gang operations behind illegal streaming sites and dodgy Fire Sticks. The number of people streaming Sky Sports and other premium TV via knock-off boxes has gone "through the roof". 2 Police have taken down a number of operations in recent years Credit: Cheshire police But those buying them maybe be unaware it's not a victimless crime. Crooks are using money gained from such operations for drugs, forced labour, people trafficking and other types of criminality. "We always follow the money and go for the bigger organised crime groups and the bigger organised crime networks," Emma Warbey, head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police, told the Financial Times. Efforts have largely focused on cease and desist letters to some lower-level sellers which have been "very effective". "We are basically saying, 'We know what you're doing, this is the law that you're breaking, and if you carry on, we will come and arrest you,'" she explained. But she admits tackling end users is more challenging. "We can't arrest everybody in the UK that's doing it," the detective chief inspector continues. "So we're trying to look at other tactics." Users also run the risk of falling victim to devastating fraud themselves. One former illegal streamer recently told The Sun how crooks instantly accessed his bank account shortly after signing up to one such service. Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe The 46-year-old from the Northwest of England - who asked to remain anonymous - said mates had used the illegal site before and recommended it, so he assumed it would be safe. However, little after signing up with his bank details a number of unexpected transactions were attempted on his account totalling several thousand pounds. "It all seemed quite secure, so I didn't even think at the time," he 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." 2 Those watching illegal streams warned their bank accounts could be targeted by fraudsters Credit: Getty / The Sun
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Police chief warns illegal Sky Sports streamers ‘if you carry on we will come and arrest you' amid rise in dodgy boxes
POLICE have warned Brits of the huge criminal gang operations behind illegal streaming sites and dodgy Fire Sticks. The number of people streaming Sky Sports and other premium TV via knock-off boxes has gone "through the roof". Advertisement 2 Police have taken down a number of operations in recent years Credit: Cheshire police But those buying them maybe be unaware it's not a victimless crime. Crooks are using money gained from such operations for drugs, forced labour, people trafficking and other types of criminality. "We always follow the money and go for the bigger organised crime groups and the bigger organised crime networks," Emma Warbey, head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police, told the Efforts have largely focused on cease and desist letters to some lower-level sellers which have been "very effective". Advertisement Read more on illegal streaming "We are basically saying, 'We know what you're doing, this is the law that you're breaking, and if you carry on, we will come and arrest you,'" she explained. But she admits tackling end users is more challenging. "We can't arrest everybody in the UK that's doing it," the detective chief inspector continues. "So we're trying to look at other tactics." Advertisement Most read in Tech Users also run the risk of falling victim to devastating fraud themselves. One former illegal streamer recently Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe The 46-year-old from the Northwest of England - who asked to remain anonymous - said mates had used the illegal site before and recommended it, so he assumed it would be safe. However, little after signing up with his bank details a number of unexpected transactions were attempted on his account totalling several thousand pounds. Advertisement "It all seemed quite secure, so I didn't even think at the time," he 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." 2 Those watching illegal streams warned their bank accounts could be targeted by fraudsters Credit: Getty / The Sun Advertisement 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.'
The Sun
23-04-2025
- The Sun
Police chief warns illegal Sky Sports streamers ‘if you carry on we will come and arrest you' amid rise in dodgy boxes
POLICE have warned Brits of the huge criminal gang operations behind illegal streaming sites and dodgy Fire Sticks. The number of people streaming Sky Sports and other premium TV via knock-off boxes has gone "through the roof". But those buying them maybe be unaware it's not a victimless crime. Crooks are using money gained from such operations for drugs, forced labour, people trafficking and other types of criminality. "We always follow the money and go for the bigger organised crime groups and the bigger organised crime networks," Emma Warbey, head of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police, told the Financial Times. Efforts have largely focused on cease and desist letters to some lower-level sellers which have been "very effective". "We are basically saying, 'We know what you're doing, this is the law that you're breaking, and if you carry on, we will come and arrest you,'" she explained. But she admits tackling end users is more challenging. "We can't arrest everybody in the UK that's doing it," the detective chief inspector continues. "So we're trying to look at other tactics." Users also run the risk of falling victim to devastating fraud themselves. One former illegal streamer recently told The Sun how crooks instantly accessed his bank account shortly after signing up to one such service. Major Illegal Streaming Network Shut Down Across Europe The 46-year-old from the Northwest of England - who asked to remain anonymous - said mates had used the illegal site before and recommended it, so he assumed it would be safe. However, little after signing up with his bank details a number of unexpected transactions were attempted on his account totalling several thousand pounds. "It all seemed quite secure, so I didn't even think at the time," he 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." 2 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.'
