Police seize customer list of illegal Sky IPTV users after making two arrests

Look, we all know somebody who knows somebody who has a ‘dodgy box’. You know, the TV thing where they magically seem to have access to everything.

But as tempting as cheap access to more channels might sound, we all know it's illegal. And therefore, definitely not OK.

Plus, the police have now seized a list of people illegally using Sky IPTV after two arrests were made.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) have been doing a long-running investigation into a Telegram channel.

This channel had been selling unauthorised access to Sky TV.

The people behind scheme are said to have made over a whopping £800,000 from it as well as the access being re-sold to thousands of users.

Search warrants were carried out by officers last week in Lanarkshire, Essex and Hertfordshire.

The specialists managed to seize £17,000 in cash. They also sent off a number of digital and custom streaming devices for further examination.

Plus, two men, aged 33 and 35, have been arrested on suspicion of alleged fraud, money laundering, and intellectual property offences.

One of the men was also arrested for firearms licence breaches, after two shotguns were seized.

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They were later bailed after questioning while investigations carry on.

Detective Inspector Steve Payne, from ERSOU, said: "[These] arrests form part of an investigation into a sophisticated large-scale criminal operation which has generated significant sums of money through the illicit sale of TV subscription packages.

"We know from experience that the money generated through illegal means such as this often goes on to fund wider organised criminality, which is why it’s key to apprehend those involved."

And now here’s a particularly important bit in case any of this is sounding a little familiar, he added: “We have also gained access to the details of those purchasing the streams, and I would remind anyone doing so that they will be breaking the law and could ultimately be subject to criminal proceedings.”

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Sky’s director of Anti-Piracy UK and ROI, Matt Hibbert, also said: “We’re grateful to ERSOU and to the forces involved for taking this action, which will have a significant impact on the illicit sale of Sky TV.

"We’ll continue to support efforts to shut down the organised networks involved in the large-scale theft of our content and to protect consumers from the risks involved in accessing content in this way.”

While it's not the same as using an illegal device like this, a lawyer previously explained the consequences of not paying your TV licence.

Nasir Hafezi reminds us that avoiding the charge and watching anything live on any channel or streaming service is an offence and that you could end up in court for it.

Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Crime

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_