State Attorneys General Warn Consumers: Illicit Piracy Services Cause Harm Through Credit Card Fraud and Malware

2023 Digital Citizens Alliance Survey Found That 72% of Those Using a Credit Card to Register for a Piracy Service Reported Fraud

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Online piracy, malware, and credit card fraud are dangerous and rampant, warn state attorneys general (AGs) in a series of new public service announcements (PSAs) launched today. The PSAs caution consumers: "Staying safe online has never been more difficult. Some very bad actors have found a way into our homes through the entertainment we watch." In addition to being posted online, the PSAs will be promoted through a social media campaign and submitted for airing on local TV stations.

"Piracy operators dangle free content. But what they don't tell you is that the content is bait designed to infect users' devices and enable criminals to abuse their credit cards," said Tom Galvin, executive director of the Digital Citizens Alliance (DCA), which produced the PSAs in collaboration with state AGs. "These PSAs, developed in partnership with attorneys general in 19 states and the District of Columbia, warn consumers of the lengths that piracy operators will go to exploit their users."

A June 2023 report, "Giving Piracy Operators Credit," details how an investigator's credit card was targeted for $1,495 in illicit purchases appearing to originate from China, Hong Kong, Lithuania, and Singapore. To test whether credit card fraud was tied to piracy subscription services, DCA signed up for 20 piracy subscription services with a new Capital One Quicksilver credit card used solely for the project. The sites charged a set monthly subscription fee ranging from $5.99 to $40, and within two weeks, the fraudulent charges began.

In addition to the investigation of the 20 piracy subscription services, DCA asked 2,330 Americans how they access online entertainment services. According to the survey, 72 percent of Americans who said they used a credit card to purchase a piracy subscription service also reported having an issue with credit card fraud over the last year. Only 18 percent of those who said they don't visit pirate sites reported a similar issue.

Piracy websites are also closely tied to the spread of ransomware and other malware designed to cripple users' devices and steal personal and financial information.

AGs participating in the online safety PSA project with DCA include:

• General Rob Bonta (California)
• General William Tong (Connecticut)
• General Brian Schwalb (District of Columbia)
• General Chris Carr (Georgia)
• General Brenna Bird (Iowa)
• General Kris Kobach (Kansas)
• General Anthony G. Brown (Maryland)
• General Dana Nessel (Michigan)
• General Keith Ellison (Minnesota)
• General Lynn Fitch (Mississippi)
• General Aaron D. Ford (Nevada)
• General Letitia A. James (New York)
• General Josh Stein (North Carolina)
• General Dave Yost (Ohio)
• General Michelle Henry (Pennsylvania)
• General Alan Wilson (South Carolina)
• General Marty Jackley (South Dakota)
• General Sean Reyes (Utah)
• General Charity R. Clark (Vermont)
• General Jason Miyares (Virginia)

The PSA videos can be viewed at https://www.digitalcitizensalliance.org/issues/DCA-PSA.

Small Ax Creative, a dynamic creative and production shop that leverages a unique process to create premium videos and content for global brands and nonprofits, produced each of the PSAs for this project.

About Digital Citizens Alliance
The Digital Citizens Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization that is a consumer-oriented coalition focused on educating the public and policymakers on the threats that consumers face on the Internet. Digital Citizens wants to create a dialogue on the importance for Internet stakeholders— individuals, government, and industry—to make the Web a safer place. Based in Washington, DC, the Digital Citizens Alliance counts among its supporters: private citizens, the health, pharmaceutical, and creative industries, as well as online safety experts and other communities focused on Internet safety. Visit us at www.digitalcitizensalliance.org.

Media Contacts:
Adam Benson
Vrge Strategies for Digital Citizens Alliance
202-999-9104
[email protected] 

Cyndi Sutton
Digital Citizens Alliance
571-213-0401
[email protected]

SOURCE Digital Citizens Alliance