Police are set to visit thousands of homes this week as part of a crackdown on illegal television streaming.
Officers will knock on 1,000 doors after identifying customers from a database in a major ongoing criminal investigation. They have warned that people found to be using "dodgy boxes" could face prosecution.
Detectives will be taking action against people who try to watch illegal streams, including Premier League games, other sports and films. Police have joined forces with anti-piracy investigators from FACT in "Operation Raider".
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The latest clampdown comes after raids by West Mercia Police against illegal streaming services through modified boxes, so-called “ fire sticks” and subscriptions, the Mirror reports. Those found to be using the services will potentially be served with notices, be ordered to stop immediately and be warned of serious consequences if they carry on watching in one of the biggest clampdowns ever on illegal streaming.
Two men, Paul Faulkner and Stephen Millington, were sentenced to a total of 16 months for watching illegal streams in 2021. Speaking about the crackdown, detective inspector Matt McNellis, of West Mercia’s Cyber Crime Specialist Operation, said: "We are able to deploy cutting-edge digital tactics to identify and detect people who break the law before carrying out enforcement activity in concert with our partners.
"Often, illegal streaming is used to fund Serious Organised Crime and West Mercia Cybercrime Unit is committed to interdicting this source of criminal revenue and reducing the harm organised crime groups can do to our communities."
Detective chief inspector Gary Robinson, of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said: "Accessing films, TV series and live sports events from unauthorised sources is illegal, can expose consumers to risks such as data theft and malware, and can help fund organised criminal groups."
FACT chief executive, Kieron Sharp, added: "We would like to thank the Government Agency Intelligence Network (GAIN), the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), West Mercia Police, and other police forces across the country, for their support to help ensure that the public are made aware of the dangers of using illegal streaming services and, more importantly, that they understand that there is the risk of criminal prosecution."
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