Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat has been arrested for allegedly selling IPTV subscriptions which gave his customers illegal access to UK channels and sporting events.
The 62-year-old was picked up in Benidorm following a detailed investigation by Spain’s Policia Nacional force.
The probe was sparked following a complaint from an official broadcaster after one of its workers saw the Brit’s adverts on social media.
The adverts on Facebook said the Briton’s IPTV service would provide customers with a sporting event that only the said broadcaster had the rights to, raising the alarm.
The technological crimes unit of the Policia Nacional verified that the subscription amounts ranged from €7 to €50, with the most expensive offering access to 594 television channels.
The target audience was clearly Brits and English-speaking expats, as access was mostly offered to English, Scottish and Irish channels, alongside major sporting events.
In his online adverts, the Brit boasted that he had been “supplying IPTV to bars and restaurants in Benidorm for 10 years, with support offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Investigators eventually traced the man behind the scheme, discovering he had his own internet server which helped him provide the channels to his customers.
He had a home address in Benidorm but made many trips to and from the UK.
He was arrested in Spain for crimes against intellectual property while all his equipment, including phones, laptops and IPTV devices, were seized.
A probe into his accounts revealed he had made more than €190,000 from his IPTV service.
He will appear back in court in Benidorm at a later date.
