An Edinburgh raid was part of a series that took place across the UK to clamp down on people providing illegal streams to more than half a million customers.
Capital police along with forces from Glasgow, the Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) City of London and Stoke carried out the actions that saw four people arrested on suspicion of illegally streaming premium content to over 500,000 people.
Officers say that there was a large amount of IT equipment and mobile phones that were acquired after search warrants were used to search four premises in February. But police did not stop there as over 200 ‘cease and desist’ notices were sent to individuals who were understood to be involved in illegally streaming TV services.
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However only one person was charged in connections to intellectual property theft whilst three others have since been released under investigation. Detective Inspector Andy Maclean, from Police Scotland’s Cyber Investigation Department, said: “Anyone tempted to purchase one of these Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services should be aware that their money is going towards a fraudulent scheme, and they might well find themselves having a visit from police or other authorities, the Daily Record reports.
“Money from such activities is often used to fund other crimes, so people need to be aware of that. This is, without doubt, a form of organised crime. Police Scotland will continue to work with partners to tackle this type of crime.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, added: “Organised criminal groups often view the distribution of illegal streaming services as a low-risk, high-reward crime which can be used to fund other serious forms of criminal activity.
“At the same time, it can expose end users to the risks of data theft, fraud and malware. We hope that this period of action sends a clear message; PIPCU will continue to work with partners across law enforcement and the industry to take action against those who provide illegal streaming services and protect consumers against the risks associated with using them.”
And Matt Hibbert, Director of Anti-Piracy at Sky, commented: “This coordinated effort by police and partners which saw action spanning the UK has made a significant impact against individuals involved in serious organised crime.
“More and more effective action is being taken against the criminals behind big piracy operations and we thank PIPCU and all the police forces involved. We will continue to support these efforts to shut down these pirate networks and help protect consumers.”
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