{"id":11329,"date":"2026-06-17T18:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=11329"},"modified":"2026-06-17T18:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:25:00","slug":"how-the-pirate-tv-ring-with-tens-of-thousands-of-subscribers-operated-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=11329","title":{"rendered":"How the pirate TV ring with tens of thousands of subscribers operated (video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most sophisticated network<\/b> for the illegal provision of pay-TV<\/b> network ever identified in Greece was dismantled by the Department for Combating Organized Crime Unit of Crete<\/strong> of the DAOE.<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s illegal profits amount to at least 7 million euros<\/strong>, while the total damage<\/b> to legitimate companies<\/b> in the sector is estimated at the astronomical sum of 50 million euros<\/strong>, with the customer base exceeding 80,000 subscribers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The authorities\u2019 \u201ctrick\u201d involving undercover operations<\/h3>\n

To dismantle the criminal organization, which is the Greek branch of a broader pan-European network, police officers employed the method of \u201cundercover infiltration.\u201d Following a relevant court order<\/strong>, the officers posed as prospective clients.<\/p>\n

For two months, the police officers maintained open communication with the ring members, receiving instructions on how to install the illegal software on their televisions, as well as on payment methods.<\/p>\n

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However, accessing the \u201ccracked\u201d software<\/strong> was no easy task. The organization\u2019s members took strict self-protection measures<\/strong> and thoroughly vetted interested parties. Verification of customer information and guarantees of payment were non-negotiable conditions for the provision of the illegal codes.<\/p>\n

Cryptocurrencies, 58 foreign accounts, and a lavish lifestyle<\/h3>\n

The ring\u2019s money-laundering activities were carried out through:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Instant money transfer services<\/li>\n
  • Digital wallets (e-wallets)<\/li>\n
  • Cryptocurrencies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    By tracking the \u201cflow of money<\/strong>,\u201d authorities determined that the organization\u2019s members lived a life of absolute opulence, taking luxurious vacations on the Aegean islands. To launder their \u201cblack\u201d income, they had purchased vehicles<\/strong> as well as at least two properties in Athens<\/strong> and Agrinio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    At the same time, to avoid having large sums of money traced back to them, they had spread their profits across at least 58 bank accounts abroad (Lithuania, Bulgaria, Malta, Luxembourg, and Skopje), with the exact amount of the deposits still under investigation.<\/p>\n

    Dozens involved in the case<\/h3>\n

    So far, authorities in Crete have made 7 arrests, while the massive case file that has been compiled includes 76 additional individuals. Investigations are continuing in cooperation with international authorities to fully map out the network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The most sophisticated illegal pay-TV service ring ever uncovered in Greece was dismantled by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-greece"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}