Criminals load software onto them to provide unauthorised access to premium subscriber content
Police and anti-fraud investigators carried out raids in 2025 to crack down on ‘dodgy’ Amazon Fire Stick users. “Dodgy” Amazon Fire Sticks are those that have been modified to access premium channels for free and have been flooding homes across the UK.
Fire sticks are media streaming devices that let users stream videos, play music and install apps on their TV. Criminals load software onto them to provide unauthorised access to premium subscriber content to premium television content from legitimate providers such as Sky, BT Sport, Disney+ and Netflix.
Amazon’s latest Fire Stick model is making life harder for TV pirates looking to illegally stream telly. The newest Fire TV Stick came out just a few weeks ago – ahead of Amazon‘s global crackdown on piracy.
A spokesperson for National Trading Standards said previously: “Accessing pirated content through illegal TV fire sticks undermines the UK’s entertainment industry, putting its talented workforce and supply chains at risk by depriving them of fair earnings and revenue. It also puts consumers at risk by exposing them to illegal software that can put their data and bank details in jeopardy.
“An important reminder to all those who buy and sell TV firesticks is that crime does not pay – it breaches copyright law and we encourage people to report suspected cases to the Citizens Advice consumer service.”
It’s estimated that almost five million people in the UK consumed illegal sports coverage and bodies like the Premier League, Sky and FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) have been working with authorities to crack down.
Authorities, from the police and anti-piracy organisations to the broadcasters themselves, have been trying to stamp out the market with fines and home raids. In the latest countermove, a supplier was sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year after selling an illegally modified Fire Stick to an undercover investigator.
Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, of the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit, said: “Illegal streaming might look like a quick way to save money, but as this research shows, it’s a false economy that can end up costing people thousands.
“This is a crime that diverts funds away from the entertainment industries – money that supports thousands of technical and support staff.
“At the same time, it exposes end users to the risks of data theft, cybercrime and fraud. This research is crucial for helping us understand those dangers and why initiatives like BeStreamWise matter.
“They give the public the tools and knowledge to stay safe online and enjoy content legally and securely.
“We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure that this activity is disrupted and those involved are held to account.”
Supplier and viewers face fines of up to £50,000 for using jailbroken Fire Sticks to stream Sky and Premier League content for free FACT has said.
Viewers who tune into illegal streams may face less severe fines, however, they can still cost thousands.
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 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.”
The latest raids, as well as in the UK, took place in Ireland where legal notices were served to 13 illegal IPTV operators across Ireland instructing them to immediately stop their illicit streaming activities or otherwise risk facing the consequences, including criminal prosecution.
The 13 legal notices were served across Dublin, Cork, Donegal, Offaly, Limerick, Louth, Clare, Westmeath and Laois. They were delivered in person, by post and through email and the outcome has been successful, resulting in services being shut down, deleted social media profiles, subscriptions being terminated and paid settlements agreed.
Kieron Sharp, Chairman of FACT, said: “Together with our partners we will continue to identify and take action against Illegal IPTV service providers. They are breaking the law, making criminal profits and putting consumers at real risk of malware, data loss and identity theft.
“We want to protect consumers from these risks and operations such as this ensure the message goes out. It is not scaremongering; these are real criminal actions which consumers and their families are exposed to. These investigations and operations will continue this new year.”
Areas which have been targeted in raids:
- London
- Kent
- Sussex
- Norfolk
- Northamptonshire
- Lincolnshire
- Derbyshire
- Staffordshire
- East and West Midlands
- Greater Manchester
- Cheshire
- Merseyside
- Northumbria
- North Yorkshire
- South Wales
- North East England
- North West England
Amazon has taken steps to try and stop illegal streaming through their devices with the latest iteration of the fire stick. The new Fire TV Stick 4K Select will use a different operating system called Vega OS.
This mean on new models, modified Android apps will not work as there will not be the ability to side-load apps. Amazon said that only apps from the Amazon Appstore on Fire TV are available for download “for enhanced security” in what presents a significant challenge for those who create them.
“Piracy is illegal, and we’ve always worked to block it from our Appstore,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “Through an expanded program led by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a global coalition fighting digital piracy, we’ll now block apps identified as providing access to pirated content, including those downloaded from outside our Appstore.
“This builds on our ongoing efforts to support creators and protect customers, as piracy can also expose users to malware, viruses, and fraud.”