Running over six weeks on Facebook and Instagram, the campaign aimed to gather intelligence on individuals or groups involved in advertising or selling illegal streaming subscriptions, modified firesticks or so called ‘dodgy boxes’.
It’s part of an ongoing commitment to combat illegal streaming (which includes movies, television, and live sporting events) in Ireland and protect consumers from the risks associated with illegal streaming, such as malware, identity theft, and financial loss.
Founded in the United States, Crimestoppers is a network of community-based, community-funded, and largely volunteer programs which are active across the UK, the US Australia, Canada and Northern Ireland. Their charter is to help keep communities and workplaces safe from crimes.
One dodgy case
Those involved in providing illegal streaming services or ‘dodgy box’ operations face severe consequences. In August 2024, Ciaran Donovan from Kildare was sentenced to 16 months in prison for running King Kong Media, an operation that provided illegal access codes for pay-per-view subscription TV channels like Sky Sports. Additionally, on August 13, two brothers, Amir Butt and Ammar Hussain, received a combined total of 11 years in prison for operating an illegal streaming service.
Further reading
FACT and Crimestoppers launch new campaign to tackle illegal streaming. Press release. August 21, 2024. FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft), UK
Ireland: Man gets jail time for money-laundering through an illegal ‘dodgy box’ service. Article. by Steven Hawley. August 2, 2024. Piracy Monitor
Why it matters
FACT and Crimestoppers have teamed up to launch a new campaign across Ireland, encouraging the public to share information about illegal streaming activities in their communities.
“Using or providing illegal streams is dangerous for the consumer in terms of exposing them to scammers, and for those profiteering, they can pay a heavy price of time behind bars,” said a Crimestoppers spokesperson. “Piracy (illicit streaming) is a crime. The dangers to the family home are real for those who take the risk of using these criminal services. We should all pay our way fairly. Speak up if you know about the criminals involved. You’ll be helping to protect people from putting themselves in danger”.
