Fire TV stick investigators catch 'dodgy' streaming with one key word in messages

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Investigators targeting "dodgy" Fire TV Sticks have revealed they search for one particular word in people's messages as part of their crackdown. This comes as recent figures suggest as many as four million Britons are consuming illegally streamed content at home.

Police probes into the devices preloaded with illegal streams have resulted in hefty fines and even jail time. The sticks typically set users back around £50 and feature apps granting access to content that would normally require payment, such as live Premier League fixtures.

The Mail Online reports that one investigator has disclosed they hunt for a single telltale sign whilst sifting through vast quantities of data, including private messages. That crucial word, they reveal, is "illegal".

Whilst this may appear straightforward, the investigator explains it accelerates the process of reviewing messages. They noted: "You would be surprised by how many suspects message others with phrases like, 'this is illegal', or 'we need be careful as it's illegal'."

The investigator adds they also hunt for terms they "know will appear". These frequently encompass elements such as the stream name, subscription title, or even usernames of prominent admins, reports the Express .

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The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), an intelligence-driven investigation service representing paid-for broadcasters and rights holders, maintains that targeting these specific terms enables them to "concentrate on the evidence" required. This approach often uncovers digital traces they can utilise as part of their broader investigation.

FACT chairman Kieron Sharp told Mail Online: "The importance of doing word searching is that if you seize a computer and there's like three terabytes of data on it, you're never going to search the whole computer. You're only going to search the computer for your terms.

"You're never going to know what's fully on it. So you have to concentrate on the evidence. You'll know the name of the stream, the name of the subscription they're selling, the names of the people involved. You might even have a customer database."

Sharp told Yahoo News that it "wasn't worth the risk" getting caught using an illegal streaming device. Yet the entertainment industry has witnessed a dramatic rise in so-called "dodgy" Fire Sticks or boxes that provide vast libraries of pirated content while mimicking services like Amazon Prime Video or Netflix .

Significantly, these illegal streaming platforms charge subscription fees at a mere fraction of what legitimate media companies demand. Their growing popularity has also led to greater public acceptance, with the recent Sports Industry Report 2026 revealing 60 per cent of people had no issue with using them.

Those caught using the streaming sticks receive a letter from FACT on the first occasion. Sometimes this can come from their local police force.

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Sharp explains that FACT is "very keen not to criminalise everybody". He clarifies that the primary focus is on those supplying the illegal streaming devices.

He did, however, point to the case of Liverpool resident Jonathan Edge, who received a three-year and four-month prison sentence for both using and supplying the devices. Sharp explains that those caught using the gadgets could be hit with unlimited fines and face up to 12 months behind bars.