A man has been sentenced to two years for selling illegal TV Fire sticks, defrauding major streaming services out of £108,000
York: So, there’s this guy named Sunny Kanda, right? He got two years in jail for selling these illegal TV Fire sticks. He managed to cheat big names like Sky, BT, and Netflix out of over £108,000. Crazy, huh?
For about 18 months, from 2020 to 2022, he was selling these modified sticks, which people call “dodgy sticks.” They let folks watch stuff that’s usually behind a paywall, like Disney+ and Netflix. Not cool!
He was caught after an undercover investigator joined a Facebook group where Kanda was selling these sticks. The group had over 3,900 members! The investigator bought one and found out it was all rigged to give access to premium content.
In court, Kanda pleaded guilty to fraud and copyright charges. He was sentenced at York Crown Court after a thorough investigation by National Trading Standards and other agencies. They’re really cracking down on this stuff.
There’s even going to be a hearing soon to see if they can impose financial penalties on him. The spokesperson for National Trading Standards made it clear that this kind of piracy hurts the entertainment industry and puts consumers at risk.
They’re urging people to report any suspicious activity. Just last month, they warned everyone to stay away from these dodgy sticks, as they’ve been targeting suppliers with cease-and-desist orders. It’s serious business!
Originally, these Fire sticks were made by Amazon for legit streaming. But now, they’ve been hijacked by criminals. The CEO of FACT, Kieron Sharp, is really pushing the message that ignoring the law can lead to serious trouble.
So, if you’re thinking about using or selling these illegal devices, it’s time to rethink that choice. The law is watching, and the consequences can be pretty harsh!
