Virgin media possibly getting serious on dodgy boxes?

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by pauldavies83

2 forms ID / proof of address being one. That's good enough to get you a bank account with credit facilities in the first place.

Except the bank also run a credit check against the agencies when you open an account and/or apply for credit

[mersey70]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Except the bank also run a credit check against the agencies when you open an account and/or apply for credit

Of course, as do VM I have seen the credit search on my file (and payment history)

I assume that's how they verified my identity which is fine.

What I meant though is I would fully expect them and all ISP's to verify all applicants details as it could be a kid or an alias otherwise.

[BenMcr]

This is going rather Off Topic now btw

[mersey70]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

This is going rather Off Topic now btw

Was a while back mod I just added to your offtopicness!

BenMcr - For some reason Virgin do do a credit search on all applicants, however unless you actually owe them (or one of the previous incarnations) money, they'll generally just put a Credit Limit on or ask for a deposit

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by pabloo

yes also lets hope the method of cardsharing through cable isnt leaked by the starview and kv guys or anyone else,thats all vm needs joe blogs setting up private cardshares up and down the country all over the place

Oh come on you really think the spoon fed noobs will be able to do that

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Oh come on you really think the spoon fed noobs will be able to do that

The problem isn't them, it's the guy they know who'll set it all up for them.

One of the people in my street knows how to set up cardsharing for satellite, and as such there's a big group of houses at the top that all have nice big dishes pointed towards a certain satellite. I doubt most of them have a clue how it works or how to get it running, but they don't need to, it works and it's up and running.

You don't need to know how to set it up to use it, you just need to know someone who knows how to set it up, which every man and his dog seems to these days.

[Felim_Doyle]

Originally Posted by mersey70

Of course, as do VM I have seen the credit search on my file (and payment history)

I assume that's how they verified my identity which is fine.

What I meant though is I would fully expect them and all ISP's to verify all applicants details as it could be a kid or an alias otherwise.

You'd be surprised who performs checks on you using credit reference agencies. It's another way of checking your identity against the electoral roll* for one thing. If you have access to your credit report and, for example, you use a comparison website to get multiple quotes for car insurance, each of the insurance companies who provide a quote will show up as having looked you up with the credit reference agency, even if you were not going ahead with their quote or you were intending to pay up front in full. They are verifying your address and using statistical data, among other things, to decide your premium.

*No need to reply with "I choose to be disenfranchised, I don't register to vote, so there!" as the electoral roll is just one of many sources of information used by these agencies.

---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

You know what - I can't point to a case involving an individual with a single box. Doesn't mean to say it doesn't happen though. Actually I think it's unlikely that an individual brought to court would go to jail unless they were a repeat offender. More likely they would get a fine. But they would still have a criminal record for fraud, which is unlikely to be helpful for any future job they might apply for.

Personally I am a firm believer in the "no demand, no supply" policy. If you stringently prosecute a few end users of these "services" and impose large fines, custodial sentences (suspended or immediate) and long-term restrictions on them it should put others off risking it. Obviously, such prosecutions may cost a lot and may not guarantee a conviction but a few high-profile, well publicised cases would be enough to stem the demand.

Originally Posted by Chris

The police and VM are always more likely to go after the big boys. As with drugs busts, if you take out the dealers you take out more of the problem in one go than you would by taking out the individual junkies on the street corners. But the individuals on the street corners are still law-breaking junkies. And junkies do still get done for possession when the boys in blue find them.

I think even the US Government are realising that, where the drug trade is concerned, they have to attack the demand problem at home as much as the supply problem abroad. In the case of cocaine, you are not trying to make examples out of the "street corner junky" but high-end users in the media, finance and law industries who have a lot to lose if they are prosecuted.

[muppetman11]

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk..._top_box_scam/

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk..._top_box_scam/

TWO members of a gang who were jailed for a digital TV scam must pay back a total of £170,000.

Three Blackburn men and a Preston man were sentenced to more than 17 years in May last year after they were found guilty of defrauding Virgin Media Ltd by selling illegally modified set-top boxes.

The scam enabled customers to receive paid-for digital channels for free.

At a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Preston Crown Court this week, Dilawer Dudhwala, 29, of Assheton Road, Blackburn, was told to pay Virgin £65,000 in compensation by August 30 or he would face an additional 18 months in jail on top of his existing 18 month sentence.

Salim Zinga, 41, of Duchy Avenue, Preston, who was jailed for four years, has to pay back £105,000 to Virgin by next February or face an extra two years.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Digital Fanatic

All i want to see now is a report that the KV server has joined the Starpoo server

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Sirius

All i want to see now is a report that the KV server has joined the Starpoo server

indeed

definite overblown sentences imo 2 guys serving 6 years each for selling modified boxes when some manslaughter sentences are the same. The law really is an ass in this country

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by ooogemaflop

definite overblown sentences imo 2 guys serving 6 years each for selling modified boxes when some manslaughter sentences are the same. The law really is an ass in this country

This is fraud on a massive scale. The manslaughter comment is irrelavent to this case and is a seperate argument IMO.

Originally Posted by Digital Fanatic

This is fraud on a massive scale. The manslaughter comment is irrelavent to this case and is a seperate argument IMO.

Well it come into my head so obvious its not irrelevent to me also the fact I am not VMs greatest supporter but the sentence of 6 years seems a bit harsh. The 18 months sentence sounds about right to me

You are right of course the British judical system is another arguement but the sentences were impossed by judges following it so I am surely allowed my comment on an imbalance.

[v0id]

Originally Posted by ooogemaflop

definite overblown sentences imo 2 guys serving 6 years each for selling modified boxes when some manslaughter sentences are the same. The law really is an ass in this country

You know magistrates can sentence upto 7 years for even petty theft, right?