HBO vows to cut off Australians who use overseas accounts to watch US-only shows such as Game of Thrones… as companies step up anti-piracy efforts

An American cable and satellite television network has pledged to crackdown on Australians who use overseas accounts to access the US-restricted streaming service HBO NOW.

Tens of thousands of Aussies are reportedly accessing foreign content via virtual private network (VPN) technology, which alters their IP address to bluff their way around geographic restrictions.

HBO has warned internet users, who are watching popular TV shows such as Games of Thrones, The Sopranos and Girls, via email that they will deactivate unsuspected accounts on April 21.

'It has come to our attention that you may have signed up for and viewed video content on the HBO NOW streaming service from outside of the authorized service area (the United States, including D.C. and certain US territories),' the email reads.

'We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the HBO NOW streaming service is only available to residents of the United States, for use within the United States.

'Any other access is prohibited by our Terms of Use.'

Hundreds of users, who use Getflix, Unlock.us or UnoTelly to access the network, have taken to the online broadband forum Whirlpool to voice their opinion about the email they received.

Some users have claimed they will go back to illegal downloading if they get cut off while others say they are not too bothered if the network is no longer accessible.

'That's c*** about them wanting to block people from Australia from paying them money. It's no wonder people just torrent this stuff, when it's road block after road block,' one user wrote.

'If it goes away I'll just go back to downloading,' another said.

Aussies who had access to the HBO NOW content were paying about $US14.99 per month plus the costs of using a geo-blocking service.

Meanwhile Foxtel is charging Australians around $45 a month to access Games of Thrones.

The revelation comes after the government proposed a new anti-piracy efforts in a bid to crackdown on piracy and online copyright infringement that could end the reign of illegal downloading for good.

But Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the 'Copyright Act does not make it illegal to use a VPN to access overseas content'.

'While content providers often have in place international commercial arrangements to protect copyright in different countries or regions, which can result in ‘geo-blocking’, circumventing this is not illegal under the Copyright Act,' Mr Turnbull said on his website.