Police notes that the number of UK consumers who illegally tolerate sports

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The number of people who illegally convey sports or other channels in the UK has passed “through the roof”-a stretched police forces in the efforts of persecution of consumers deploying the law, said the head of the crime department on the UK intellectual property.

Emma Warby, chief inspector of the detective and head of the police unit on intellectual property crimes (PIPCU) in the city of London, acknowledged that people could largely use “broken” unlawful firefighters without the risk of arrest by its team, because officers focused on groups of organized crimes.

The use of Internet -Television Media -Clinch or “sticks” that can be used to illegally transmit content, it is becoming more common, it said -that the broadcasters warned that the sports market is devaluing.

These boxes can be pre -loaded with software that may transmit illegal sport And channels from all over the world.

Warby said it would be wrong to conclude that the use of illegal streams to view sports and other paid television content was a hassle -free ways to view the media by pointing to fraud and financing gangs with organized crimes.

She said that her team had focused efforts to combat “resellers and people at the top of the tree”, given that “it is really difficult to stop people.”

She added: “We always follow the money and go to larger organized criminal groups and large organized crimes networks.”

Broadcasters and law enforcement caused concern that increasing use of illegal trickle The devices helped to normalize piracy for many sports fans in the UK and parts of Europe.

Increasing pirated sports risks that undermine the value of exclusive football and other sports across the UK and Europe, warned, concerned that the use of illegal flows was regarded as a crime without victims.

Warbi said the police have revealed clear ties between pirate sports with money laundering and fraud, which should make users more attentive.

“These criminals use this money, your earned money, for many different things, usually drugs, forcing people who trade people, a huge number of other crimes that you feed, so it is not a crime without casualties.”

Police used “stop and refusal”, initially with sellers of illegal television services, Warby said. “We basically say,” We know what you do is the law you break, and if you continue, we will come and arrest you. ”

Such letters can be “very effective … Because it is so common in the UK. If you were 22-year-old that you did from your bedroom and the police have appeared, this is a huge impact. We can’t arrest everyone in the UK, so we try to look at another tactic.”

Warby also warned that many consumers also do not understand that they give their personal data to fraudsters and organized criminal groups, raising the risk of fraud.

She said that the crisis of life costs added to already increasing cases of people who use illegal but cheaper means of watching sports.

Last month, Sky criticized Amazon for not doing more to decide the use of fires in streaming pirate content. Amazon Sticks estimates about half of the illegal football stream of the Prime League only in the UK, costing the industry “hundreds of millions”.

Amazon said it had banned the sale of illegal streaming devices on its market, as well as on applications that violated third parties. It adds a fire television television service “included in the party that informs customers about the risks related to the installation or use of applications from unknown sources.”

London’s city police control efforts to combat piracy as a leading fraud, although the Warbey team is funded by the Intellectual Property Office.

Companies such as Sky can also carry out private persecution and can work with other police forces across the country. Sky has won the Supreme Court ruling, which causes Internet service providers to block pirated services illegally transfer their football games and television.

Criminal investigations and court cases may take several months, which means that resources must be allocated to large criminal gangs. Last year, the Warbey team was part of an international police operation, which closed one of the largest illegal internet translation services in the world, used by about 22 million worldwide. One of her longest cases goes to court in October.

Such cases emphasized the need to go to the criminals, “at the top of the tree, (who) will have tens of thousands of resellers across the country who sell it,” she said.

She said it was not just pirate sports; Criminals also sell access to any TV shows and channels that are either unavailable or paid in the UK. It also works differently when gangs sell only British flows such as iPlayer in Europe.