Greek Cybercrime Unit Shuts Down IPTV Pirates, 68 End Users Face Fines
(Wednesday November 26, 2025 @10:30PM (BeauHD)
from the cease-and-desist dept.)
- Reference: 0180219091
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/11/26/227244/greek-cybercrime-unit-shuts-down-iptv-pirates-68-end-users-face-fines
- Source link:
Greek authorities [1]shut down an IPTV piracy operation on Santorini , arresting a reseller and referring 68 end users for prosecution. TorrentFreak reports:
> A new legal framework to tackle online infringement in Greece went live just a couple of months ago, and reports of prosecutions are already coming in. Early September, it was reported that a man from Sparta faces prosecution and a fine of up to 6,000 euros for two IPTV piracy offenses. The suspect, reportedly a cafe owner, was targeted at his workplace on a Saturday, allegedly in front of customers. One told local media that they believed that complaints of the cafe engaging in "unfair competition" preceded the untimely visit.
>
> The Cybercrime Prosecution Directorate launched their operation in the early hours of November 19. The Athens-based unit targeted a network that sold illicit access to premium pay-TV via IPTV subscriptions. The raid, conducted on Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands, resulted in the arrest of a 48-year-old, who, from police reports, appears to be a reseller for a larger network. Customers were reportedly charged 50 euros for 3 months subscription or 100 euros for 6 months. Sales and management were handled by the 48-year-old via an online platform known as a 'panel,' while remote and in-person support were available as part of the service.
>
> The impact of the raid was visible on the islands, locals said. According to a [2]local report , hundreds of users in hotels, cafes, and residences on Santorini and beyond, found themselves suddenly without access to cheap TV. Apparently few areas were untouched by the disruption, such was local reliance on illegal streams.
[1] https://torrentfreak.com/cybercrime-unit-shuts-down-iptv-pirates-68-end-users-face-fines-251126/
[2] https://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/1730512/enas-48hronos-o-egefalos-tou-kuklomatos-peirateias-sti-sadorini-dikografia-kai-gia-allous-68/
> A new legal framework to tackle online infringement in Greece went live just a couple of months ago, and reports of prosecutions are already coming in. Early September, it was reported that a man from Sparta faces prosecution and a fine of up to 6,000 euros for two IPTV piracy offenses. The suspect, reportedly a cafe owner, was targeted at his workplace on a Saturday, allegedly in front of customers. One told local media that they believed that complaints of the cafe engaging in "unfair competition" preceded the untimely visit.
>
> The Cybercrime Prosecution Directorate launched their operation in the early hours of November 19. The Athens-based unit targeted a network that sold illicit access to premium pay-TV via IPTV subscriptions. The raid, conducted on Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands, resulted in the arrest of a 48-year-old, who, from police reports, appears to be a reseller for a larger network. Customers were reportedly charged 50 euros for 3 months subscription or 100 euros for 6 months. Sales and management were handled by the 48-year-old via an online platform known as a 'panel,' while remote and in-person support were available as part of the service.
>
> The impact of the raid was visible on the islands, locals said. According to a [2]local report , hundreds of users in hotels, cafes, and residences on Santorini and beyond, found themselves suddenly without access to cheap TV. Apparently few areas were untouched by the disruption, such was local reliance on illegal streams.
[1] https://torrentfreak.com/cybercrime-unit-shuts-down-iptv-pirates-68-end-users-face-fines-251126/
[2] https://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/1730512/enas-48hronos-o-egefalos-tou-kuklomatos-peirateias-sti-sadorini-dikografia-kai-gia-allous-68/
\o/ (Score:1)
by easyTree ( 1042254 )
> it was reported that a man from Sparta faces prosecution and a fine of up to 6,000 euros for two IPTV piracy offenses.
"I'm the man from Sparta!"
"No me"
Santorini (Score:2)
by rossdee ( 243626 )
Might be a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
Glad they have their priorities straight (Score:1)
You certainly wouldn't want a taxpayer-funded "cybercrime" unit to prioritize pursuing ransomware gangs, malware writers, or email scammers and phishers!
Thank heavens the world is a little safer with these TV pirates finally behind bars.
Re: Glad they have their priorities straight (Score:1, Insightful)
> Thank heavens the world is a little safer with these TV pirates finally behind bars.
Unless you live in Gaza where your chance (as a baby) of having your head chopped-off by a make Israeli soldier dressed in women's clothes is a function of the aid provided by the US - but yep, let's protect those bits! Even though they respawn.
Re: Glad they have their priorities straight (Score:1)
make -> male
Re: (Score:2)
They dismantled the network of that guy offering pirate service and technical service for a 16 € monthly subscription with apparently 68 customers. I wouldn't think his greed stops at 1000 euros monthly revenue, guy is probably involved in other criminal activity like ransomware or scams when he's not fixing the pirate IPTV service. The service leader is the kind that deserves jailtime. We don't know how muchthe users will be fined in the end. But according the summary, many customers were hotels. I co