GoldenEye international - nice little scam going!

[NibblyPig]

Like IP addresses can't be spoofed so thats an accurate method of determining who it is?

They can't be spoofed. Not in the way you're suggesting anyway. That's like someone spoofing your house phone number while you're on the phone talking to someone. It makes no sense.

You can send a packet with a forged IP address but then the response won't know where to go to get back to you. So you couldn't download anything or do anything useful related to torrenting etc.

If your IP was downloading Bridget Jones' Diary* then it was your IP, in your house, and it's your fault unless you can prove a neighbour used your wifi, which is unlikely.


*I use this example as a mate at uni got done for this and we lost our internet for a week until he hand delivered and verbally made an apology to the staff. ******* kingston communications monopoly.

[JayJay]

So...

I have had a laugh reading some of these replies so thanks.

But should we be worried...

The letter is in my mothers name as she is the account holder, but she is not obliged to say who is living in the house with her.

Because they have the IP, can they determine the device that the alleged infringement took place upon?

Thanks!

[FatLazyContractor]

I have had a laugh reading some of these replies so thanks.

But should we be worried...

The letter is in my mothers name as she is the account holder, but she is not obliged to say who is living in the house with her.

Because they have the IP, can they determine the device that the alleged infringement took place upon?

Thanks!

I'd suggest that you speak to AndyW's mum ASAP.

[VectraMan]

The letter is in my mothers name as she is the account holder, but she is not obliged to say who is living in the house with her.

Because they have the IP, can they determine the device that the alleged infringement took place upon?

No. Thanks to NAT all the devices are sharing one IP as far as the internet is concerned. So they only know it came from her broadband connection.

I guess it's like saying you don't know who was driving when caught speeding.

[NibblyPig]

Because they have the IP, can they determine the device that the alleged infringement took place upon?

Nope, assuming they stored at least one exact complete data packet (unlikely) they'd have your local IP address but then they'd have no way to tie that to a device short of going into your house and rooting around.

As it's a civil suit you're fine, but if this were a criminal investigation, they don't need to know that because they can just ask the ISP for your entire browsing history. They (the ISP) can easily prove it's you if while you were downloading, you also checked your facebook, e-mail, or anything else that identified you They'd just look at some http requests around the same time.

People that have installed Prey (some software to track stolen laptops) often use this data to identify the person that's nicked their laptop when that person goes online and starts posting on facebook, and prey reports back to the internet the browsing habits of the current user. You can then give that information to the police and hopefully have them act.

[MrMan]

Hi,

I recieved the same letter form SKY last week, saying they had passed my details onto a company called Golden Eye International, who would contact me shortly asking for money as compensation for copyright infringement. According to the SKY website they handed IP adresses over on 26 August for various titles.

My computer is squeaky clean. If you pay once will they, or another company, come back for more money with different titles?

I don't know what titles they are going to hit me with, but whatever they are they must be linked to my IP address at the time. It's extremely worrying, is there no defence other than pay?

Any advice, even if not good news, will be gratefully recieved.

[psychocandy]

Hi,

I recieved the same letter form SKY last week, saying they had passed my details onto a company called Golden Eye International, who would contact me shortly asking for money as compensation for copyright infringement. According to the SKY website they handed IP adresses over on 26 August for various titles.

Nowadays my computer is squeaky clean. But if their claim is legit i guess there is no other choice than to pay? But if you pay once will they, or another company, come back for more money with different titles?

I don't know what titles they are going to hit me with, but whatever they are they must be linked to my IP address at the time. It's extremely worrying, because if their claim is legit there is no defence other than pay?

Any advice, even if not good news, will be gratefully recieved.

MrMan. First off - out of interest do you think there is an element of truth or is it false? I.e. did you download stuff. I think the common consensus is that they are chancer who possibly just scan ip addresses and collect them.

Why on earth would you just pay though? Remember at this point, they have no real proof of anything. As far as I know, no-one has ever been taken to court and convicted based just on their IP address. And they make up a figure for compensation - nothing legal about that its just a figure they think they can blackmail people into paying. £700 last time I believe.

BUT, these people live on the fact that people, like you, crap themselves and pay up. No need to chase the ones that don't pay because its easy money from the % that do pay up.

They tried this a few years ago and got defeated. Same company. They make money out of doing this. Some solicitor got struck off or something I think. But they're back for another tilt.

If I remember correctly, correct response IF you get a letter is to respond denying it all and asking them to provide proof - which they don't have of course. And also asking them to justify how they've lost £700 - which is what the law allows them to chase you for - they can't make up 'fines'.

If you do this, they are likely to drop it. Much easier to just bank the £700 cheques from the people who think "OMG I've been caught downloading porn I better pay up to make this go away before the Mrs finds out".

Exact same principle as the dodgy parking tickets used to be. Chancers.

[LondonManc]

PC's correct on the opportunity cost front. They may have to prove that they have lost money because you would have actually have bought the title. If you've never bought that sort of stuff before, then there's no precedent for buying it from them. They should be going after whoever is leaking their stuff to xhamster or whichever site is currently showing their art projects.

[MrMan]

MrMan. First off - out of interest do you think there is an element of truth or is it false? I.e. did you download stuff. I think the common consensus is that they are chancer who possibly just scan ip addresses and collect them.

Why on earth would you just pay though? Remember at this point, they have no real proof of anything. As far as I know, no-one has ever been taken to court and convicted based just on their IP address. And they make up a figure for compensation - nothing legal about that its just a figure they think they can blackmail people into paying. £700 last time I believe.

BUT, these people live on the fact that people, like you, crap themselves and pay up. No need to chase the ones that don't pay because its easy money from the % that do pay up.

They tried this a few years ago and got defeated. Same company. They make money out of doing this. Some solicitor got struck off or something I think. But they're back for another tilt.

If I remember correctly, correct response IF you get a letter is to respond denying it all and asking them to provide proof - which they don't have of course. And also asking them to justify how they've lost £700 - which is what the law allows them to chase you for - they can't make up 'fines'.

If you do this, they are likely to drop it. Much easier to just bank the £700 cheques from the people who think "OMG I've been caught downloading porn I better pay up to make this go away before the Mrs finds out".

Exact same principle as the dodgy parking tickets used to be. Chancers.

Thank you Psychocandy for replying so rapidly.

However, isn't their proof that SKY gave them my IP address and a title enough? I'm just really worried that if i deny it, they'll take me to court and i'll loose and it'll all come out.

[GB9]

Being technically illiterate, how do they know which of their titles people have supposedly viewed and how?