A MAP has revealed the areas targeted in a “dodgy Firestick” crackdown – as millions of Brits have been issued a warning over illegal streaming.
The popular Firestick is modified by criminals to make premium content available on the cheap – showing Premier League games, movies and Sky channels.
Now cops and the anti-piracy body Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) have been raiding homes all over the UK to crackdown on the use of illicit Amazon TV Fire Sticks.
So far they have covered southern counties such as London, Kent, Sussex, and Norfolk, up to Cheshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, to as far as Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Northumbria, and North Yorkshire.
Both the police and FACT aim to target more than 30 suppliers selling the dodgy sticks.
FACT said the raid is the latest clampdown on illegal streaming operations, with courts also imposing tougher sentences on those who break the law.
The raids began in November after police were alerted to people streaming sports and TV illegally.
As part of the operation, a 42-year-old man was arrested in Newport and under suspicion of being involved with selling the dodgy sticks.
More people were visited and handed cease-and-desist letters.
Only last month Jonathan Edge, 29, from Liverpool received a three-year jail term for selling and using the firesticks.
Despite being sent cease-and-desist letters, Jonathan continued to sell.
Chief executive of FACT, Kieron Sharp, said: “Our cease-and-desist measures are not just warnings—they are the first step toward holding offenders accountable.
“If you’re supplying or using illicit streaming devices or illegal IPTV subscriptions, take this as a clear warning: you are breaking the law and risk facing serious consequences.
“To those using illegal streaming services, the message is that you’re not just committing a crime; you are putting yourself at risk.
“These services often expose users to malware, scams, and data theft, with no recourse when things go wrong.”
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.”
