Following a 28-month investigation, all three were found to be involved in illegally modifying digital set-up boxes, enabling customers to access subscriptions for free.
CY4OR was appointed by the internet provider to compile forensic evidence, which led to arrests in April 2008. Police raided two residential addresses and one commercial premises in Birmingham, where large quantities of cash and approximately 2,000 illegal digital set-top boxes were found.
Keith Cottenden of CY4OR said: “This is a serious crime. Virgin Media continues to work closely with police forces across the UK and will prosecute individuals involved in this activity. Some people may not realise they are even committing a crime by receiving channels for free, but the technology is now in place to enable us to identify other perpetrators and stamp out this kind of crime. We hope the forensic evidence collated as part of this investigation sets a precedent to prevent future fraudulent activity.”
Malcolm Davies, Virgin Media’s head of fraud and security said: “Anyone thinking of buying cut-price Virgin Media equipment needs to know that they’re needlessly throwing money away. Later this month, we will introduce a new encryption process in Birmingham, which is already rolling out across other parts of the UK now. This will protect our existing customers and make it impossible for others to take our services unless they pay for them legitimately.”
In May this year, another four men were convicted in Preston, Lancashire and Manchester following a similar investigation by CY4OR and Virgin.
