Hundreds of illegal television decoders were seized in a storage facility raid earlier this week, StarHub said on Friday. By using these decoders, consumers can watch certain TV programs without paying for them. These boxes are illegal in Singapore.

In a statement, the pay TV operator said that since early this year, it has been tracking a syndicate that has been distributing flyers advertising illegal set-top boxes. The flyers claimed the boxes were able to unscramble StarHub's TV content.

"StarHub takes a very serious view of content piracy and the sale of illegal boxes. As these illegal boxes are not made available through StarHub, consumers who purchase these decoders are doing so at their own risk," said StarHub chief marketing officer Jeannie Ong in a statement on Friday. StarHub added that it will follow up with criminal prosecution against the illegal importer.

StarHub is currently phasing in a new encryption system for its content. This cannot be unscrambled by existing illegal boxes, said the statement.