It look like some customers have been enjoying faster speeds without paying for it by using other users network access ID,s
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/19/virgin_media_cloned_modems/More than a thousand hackers are using reconfigured cable modems to fraudulently access free high speed Virgin Media broadband, sources have revealed.
The hack has been made possible by the recent launch of Virgin Media's 50Mbit/s "XXL" package. It relies on new equipment running the upgraded DOCSIS 3.0 data transmission standard.
The launch has allowed hackers to apply the new configuration from Virgin Media's official up to 50Mbit/s home modem to legacy DOCSIS 1.0 hardware, to access the DOCSIS 1.0 platform at higher speeds. Our source said over a thousand lines have been seen obtaining about 30Mbit/s downstream.
Virgin Media told The Register it was aware of the problem and was working to address it. It added that recent network upgrades allowed it to detect modems cloned in this way and it intends to pursue those involved. "The message is: we are onto this and we are after you," a spokesman said.
I,m sure we will see a few folks brought to book for this scam, in my book the one group of folks you dont mess with on the net is your service provider, trying to defraud them is like urinating on your own boots, in the end you will see the error of your actions.