Virg-- piracy letter

Hi,

A 'friend' got an interesting letter from Virgin media today regarding illegal set-top box.

It begins:

"It has been brought to out attention that someone at your address has purchased and may be using an unauthorised set-top box."

It then lists the terms and conditions, and includes a faq on how naughty it is.

It stops short at saying that the FBI are going to kick your door in, and indeed does say they "are not going to take any legal action at this stage", but make it very clear the box should be disconnected and disposed "in an environmentally friendly way"

One faq question/answer:
Where did Virgin Media get my details?
We have been working with the police to legally gather details of the people who are selling unauthorised set-top boxes and also the details of the people who have brought the boxes for use on our network.

Anyone else heard of these letters?

 

I too have recieved this letter today, I rang the helpline to tell them i didn't have an unauthorised box and they told me 'A third party had informed them i had purchased one'.

 

hmmmm,
Well I guess thats about all they can do then. If they can't detect you using the box, a letter is about as far as they can push it. ...and a black mark on your account, no doubt.

Still interested to know how they got the information though.

 

Can you scan the letter and put it up obviously without your details on it? would make interesting reading.

 

Very intriguing to say the least, if you could possibly do what has been suggested, it would be beneficial to everyone, and I just wonder if you are both in the same area and have someone malicious close by? (who obviusly knows you and your hobbies)

 

sorry about the crappy quality (mobile phone + too much coffee)


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Tonk thanks for uploading them!, just to let you know the first pic still has the Ref number on it.

 

Removed the ref #. It seems pretty unidentifying anyway. thanks.

 

Would be interesting to know where you both got your receivers from, maybe you have the same supplier and he's been done for selling them and given or forced to give his customers details, if this is the case im sure we will be hearing more of the same, who knows?

 

I wonder could they be sending them out to everyone that used to have a more expensive package and switched back to the basic package?

For example if you subscribed for the movie channels and sports channels for years and then stopped.

 

Afternoon, did anyone not wonder why fleabay has stopped allowing the sale of them and don't fleabay have all the buyer/seller info?

 

I'm in the telewest aztec region, and the box in question was a starview clone that came from unknown supplier from ebay over a year ago.

I did drop some sports channels some months back. ... but i'm still paying them £85 a month, not exactly suspicious.

 

Hence what I was hinting at regards fleabay

 

So you reckon it's fleabay then? And would they be likely to be giving the irish companies lists of names too?

 

I am only surmising Eva but it makes sense they have done similar things in the past. As said nothing to worry about as there hasnt been a spate of letters. I could also be adding 2 + 2 and getting 5

Maybe something as simple as a nosey neighbour.

 

I wonder if they are doing it how far back they would be likely to go, six months, 12 months, beginning of the year?

Interesting.

I thought fleabay were supposed to keep your details confidential. Could you not sue them for releasing them to a third party?

 

I bought my box off a website about a year ago, (not an auction site). I have just received one of these letters this morning also.
Is it worth ringing V*rgin or just leave it?

 

Not fleabay then. Do you live near the op? Have you cancelled a premium package and gone for the basic package?

Not interrogating you here, just trying to get any common factors.

Personally i wouldn't ring them and admit to having the box, if you are worried maybe disconnect it for a while and wait to see what other people have to say.

 

Roughly where in the UK are you two that have received the letters from?

@Eva regards fleabay its open to debate as regards information. If I gave out someone's info without their knowledge would I admit to it. (Yes I would of course, thats my nature), but we are dealing with a different beast here.

Too much guess work here on my part without enough info. Maybe they are just mailing them like a mailshot in the logical manner that quite a few people have boxes. You wont hear from people who dont have boxes here or on any other forums saying they have received these letters.

 

My guess is they're doing a mailshot to people that cancelled premium sub for the basic pacakge.

We'll find out soon enough i'm sure.