How much money you could lose watching EFL football on illegal 'fire sticks' - Police release fresh scam warning | OneFootball

Police are attempting to crackdown on the illegal streaming industry, and have issues a fresh scam warning to London football fans.

Police are launching a nationwide crackdown on the illegal sports streaming industry, with Londoners in particular sent a fresh scam warning detailing just how much money people could lose.

The rise in illegal sports streaming has been dramatic in recent years, as fans of all sports attempt to save money on subscription packages and pay-per-view content.

Football, undoubtedly, has been one of the sports at the forefront of this, with supporters across the globe turning to illegal methods to watch their team play from the comfort of their living rooms.

Perhaps the most popular method has been through the purchasing of 'dodgy fire sticks' that have been 'jailbroken', which allows the user to bypass subscriptions and paywalls on TV channels, and access content and games that they shouldn't be able to.

As revealed by the Daily Mail at the end of October, police are cracking down on illegal streamers, with 19 UK areas having been listed as areas that were specifically being targeted.

Those being: London, Kent, Sussex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, East Midlands, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Northumbria, North Yorkshire, South Wales, North East England, North West England and an 'advanced' targeting taking place in Scotland respectively.

It's been reported that distributors and streamers of these 'dodgy boxes' could face fines of up to £50k, and now a fresh warning regarding the dangers of being scammed and having your personal information stolen due to the use of these items has been issued by London police.

As revealed by The Standard, customers pay an average fee of £13.53 a month for a 'dodgy box', which works out at £162 per year, enabling football fans to stream channels such as Sky Sports and TNT Sport as part of that fee.

However, they claim that four in 10 viewers in London say that instead of the devices being cheaper methods of watching content, they are instead being targeted by scammers.

It's stated that most suffered losses of around £1,418 as a result of their private information and bank details being stolen, whilst others lost control over their Wi-Fi at home too.

But even more alarmingly, one in 10 reported losses of over £2,500 according to BeStreamWise via The Standard, who are a cross-industry anti-piracy organisation.

Speaking in an interview via The Standard, Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey, who works as part of the City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit, sent a clear message to football fans and consumers alike over the dangers of being scammed when using 'dodgy fire sticks'.

"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," Warbey said.

"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."

It's a highly contentious issue among football fans, as many have turned to these 'dodgy boxes' as a way of grappling with the expensive nature of subscription packages and pay-per-view content.

But with personal information and banking details at risk alongside a hefty potential fine if caught streaming or distributing these 'jailbroken' devices, police are evidently desperate to get the message across to people that however much these risks seem like they're worth taking, they aren't.