Sky streamers have spoken of their fear as police crackdown on illegal streamers across the UK. Police have warned those using illegal streams that they are paying for “organised crime”.
Houses have even been raided in London, Stoke, Glasgow and Edinburgh as police attempt to shut down a service allegedly selling Internet Protocol TV devices (IPTV).
IPTV can be used to stream sports and TV channels illegally.
One panicked user of the streaming service told the Daily Mail: “I’m sat here panicking looking at the front door as we speak.”
The service reportedly had up to 50,000 users. Police are seizing computers, phones, and laptops from homes as part of their action.
Four people have since been arrested in connection with the raids with one person charged.
Another user is quoted as saying: “Just wait till the police knock on the door. Then delete the app before you open the door.”
Someone else said: “I’m an Everton fan, our punishment is watching the game. We should be exempt!”
Others on social media argued that the police were wasting their time and should be concentrating their efforts on fighting more severe crime.
One said: “UK police can’t catch a cold, all crime through the roof and most doesn’t even get investigated but yeah let’s prey on the people chilling watching the footie.”
Sky TV, however, has supported the action taken by the police.
Matt Hibbert, director of anti-piracy at Sky, said: “We will continue to support these efforts to shut down these pirate networks and help protect customers.”
Detective Inspector Andy Maclean, of Police Scotland’s Cyber Investigation Department, said: “Anyone tempted to purchase one of these 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.
“Money from such activities are often used to fund other crime, so people need to be aware of that.
“This is, without doubt, a form of organised crime.”
