Is your ‘dodgy’ Fire Stick spying on you? Thieves could be emptying your bank as you watch sport & Disney films for free

WATCHING telly on your “dodgy” Fire Stick might initially seem like a victimless crime - but it turns out YOU might actually be the hapless victim. The “cracked” streaming gadgets – which have been illegally modified to access premium content for free – could be spying on your every move, even letting crooks silently empty your bank account. Using a “dodgy” Fire Stick for piracy is unlawful, but some Brits are willing to take the risk of owning one to avoid forking out on TV fees.

You might have one of the so-called 'jailbroken' devices in your living room, totally unaware you've handed criminals easy access to your home and accounts. So while you’re watching Premier League games, or sticking Disney’s Wicked or Moana 2 on for free, crooks can use your dodgy device to prey on you. Experts have told The Sun that by streaming on a dodgy stick or app, which authorities and police are trying to crack down on, you risk instantly becoming a victim of fraud and even identity theft.

As well as putting yourself at risk of a £1,000 fine and even prison sentences, experts say criminals can spy on your online activities, hijack devices in your home, and potentially even listen in on conversations. Regular Amazon Fire Sticks don’t allow piracy – but TV fans can buy hacked versions for as little as £50, loaded with apps for watching telly illegally. That's cheaper than a year of Netflix, which is £60 even for the cheapest plan.

Simply plug one into your TV and you’ll be served with pirated content like premium live sports or the latest Hollywood flicks. Brits have flocked to these “cracked” devices to watch premium telly like Amazon's Grand Tour, Sky’s Game of Thrones, and live sports like November's Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match. A dodgy device typically sets Brits back around £49 to £85 in exchange for 12 months of access to premium content.

One online listing for a "fully-loaded Fire Stick" seen by The Sun had the device available for just £50 – far less than paying for all of the major streaming services. It's not a new problem. A YouGov survey in 2017 revealed five million Brits were using pirated TV streaming services – including with "illegal Kodi boxes" and "Amazon Fire TV chipped sticks". And it's still going on. In 2024, YouGov revealed that a quarter of people admitted they had pirated content.

And in 2023, one in 10 Brits confessed to watching an illegal sports broadcast in the last six months. It's seemingly commonplace - and criminals are exploiting this relaxed attitude to spy on you. The Sun spoke to piracy-busting group BeStreamWise, who teach Brits about the dangers of using these devices. “By illegally streaming, people are opening themselves up to multiple risks, some of which include identity theft, fraud, viruses and dangerous malware,” a BeStreamWise spokesperson told The Sun.

“Illegal streaming sites, apps and devices are often used to deliver dangerous malware to the user’s device. “This then gives criminals access to users’ networks or devices, often in the background, allowing viewers to be scammed and opening them up to fraud or identity theft. “The risk increases significantly when people exchange credit or debit card information to purchase a jailbroken device or subscription.

“By sharing these details, consumers are giving criminals direct access to sensitive financial information. “Devices that are connected to your TV and home network can give criminals 24-hour access to your data and beyond, without your knowledge.”. Experts say it turns your home into a Big Brother-style nightmare lifted from the pages of dystopian novel 1984. They can let criminals monitor what you're doing from anywhere in the world – and you're not meant to notice a thing.

How much does it cost to stream telly in the UK?. You'll pay a pretty penny if you want to watch all the most premium telly in Britain. Here's how much the top-tier subscriptions will set you back each month... And then there's the BBC TV Licence Fee, which is currently £169.50 a year (equivalent to £14.13 a month). If you were to have all of those services, it would come in at £122.07 a month – or a whopping £1,464.78 a year.

However your bill could be slightly less if you claimed Sky TV's offer for a Standard-tier Netflix subscription with your plan. These prices also don't include any pay-per-view sports events that you might want to watch either. Picture Credit: Netflix. Jamie Akhtar, who co-founded security company CyberSmart, warned that they pose serious cyber security risks. “Dodgy Fire Sticks are often modified using third-party software and unofficial apps, which lack the rigorous security measures of legitimate platforms," he told The Sun.