Major warning to anyone using amazon fire sticks for illegal streaming

CRIMINALS ARE USING ILLEGAL STREAMING TO STEAL CREDIT CARD DETAILS AND INFECT USERS' DEVICES WITH MALWARE. A NEW REPORT HAS DELIVERED A STARK WARNING TO ANYONE WHO ILLEGALLY STREAMS

NICK SOMMERLAD Investigations Editor and RICHARD BROWN Assistant Editor 10:55, 02 Jun 2025Updated 10:55, 02 Jun 2025 Illegal streams of live football other sports on gadgets like

Amazon's £25 Fire Stick are a hotbed for criminals nicking credit card details and infecting devices with malware. Enders Analysis has released a new report claiming pirated video is a

"enticing store front" for dodgy dealers, slamming big tech for failing to crack down on "industrial scale theft". The report says one in eight young adults aged 16 to 24

are tuning into illegal streams, branding the fight against it a "formidable challenge". It accuses big tech of "a combination of ambivalence and inertia", accusing them

of leaving security lax while nudging users towards dodgy streams. It lays out three ways piracy's running riot: restreaming of live events on social media, streaming services that

sneak malware onto your kit, and paid pirate TV through devices like the Fire Stick, which are all dressed up to look legit. The report says "Pirated services are part of sustained

efforts, mostly by organised crime, to gain access to consumer data and online identity, infect devices with malware and enrich their criminal enterprises." With an estimated 17 million

people across Europe hooked on pirated TV services, the damage could be costing anywhere from £900million to a staggering £21billion a year. And when it comes to a big football match, tens

of thousands might be watching a single pirate stream, reports the Mirror. Article continues below The report's even slapped a label on Amazon's Fire TV Stick, calling it a

"piracy enabler". The gadget in question, capable of transforming a regular TV into a portal for thousands of genuine streaming services, is getting hijacked to illegally stream

big-ticket events. The analysts at Enders Analysis have discovered that users don't have to delve into the murky depths of the internet as these dodgy streaming avenues are being

blatantly advertised and promoted. Amazon has said it's made tweaks to Fire TV in an effort to squash the piracy bug and has warned customers against "sideloaded apps".

Article continues below An Amazon spokesperson said: "We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which

includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown

sources." Meanwhile, Nick Herm, the COO at Sky Group, said: "It's a serious issue for anyone who invests in creating and delivering world-class content. We'd like to see

faster, more joined-up action from major tech platforms and government."