Campaign highlights cybersecurity risks of streaming content illegally
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Nearly a third of people say they, or someone they know, has been a victim of fraud, scams, or identity theft as a result of streaming content illegally, according to a new survey.
The survey's results were released to coincide with the launch of the BeStreamWise campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the risks associated with piracy when accessing film, TV series or sport through illegal platforms, links and devices.
Of those who took part in the research, 43% said they were not knowledgeable about the dangers of streaming illegal content.
The BeStreamWise initiative has been launched in partnership with several groups across the film, television and sport industries, including Sky and the Premier League.
According to BeStreamWise, illegal streaming services are "increasingly operated by sophisticated criminal networks", and when someone accesses or registers for illegal streaming services, they may unwittingly be leaving themselves open to fraud, scams, and identity theft.
“The perception that illegal streaming is a victimless crime is completely inaccurate," said social engineer and people hacker Jenny Radcliffe.
Illegal streaming services and sites have been known to steal people's card details and banking information, to install malware on their devices, to access their browsing history, and to steal personal information like messages, contacts, images, and documents.
"Engaging in illegal streaming makes you a prime target for professional fraudsters," Ms Radcliffe added.
"And what is worse, because these activities are illegal, victims may have little or no recourse for recovering their losses and may even face criminal charges themselves.”
The BeStreamWise campaign outlined a number of tips to help people protect themselves when streaming content.
- Firstly, people should be aware of pop-up ads and other advertisements for unfamiliar streaming services. A simple way to research the legitimacy of a service is to type its name into a search engine along with the word "SCAM" — there may be feedback about it online;
- Personal and financial details should never be shared unless you are dealing with a legitimate streaming service;
- People should also protect themselves with strong passwords such as numbers and special characters for their accounts, using a password manager and several different passwords, if possible'
- Bank statements should be checked regularly for any suspicious or unexpected activity.
- Lastly, BeStreamWise says scams can come in all shapes and sizes, and that scammers may initiate contact by phone, text, email, social media DMs and other means. Be suspicious and double check before giving out personal information or money, especially if pressured into doing to to avail of something like a "time sensitive" offer.
More information on the BeStreamWise campaign can be found on its website