[BAGAGT1]

Depending on the situation, I don't think it is either illegal or unethical, however, since it sounds like they just recently moved in to this house I would err on the side of caution. If this is a newly constructed home (or recently constructed), I would not worry about it, as the cable company does not fix the filters until all of the construction in the area is finished.

When I bought my home I ordered basic cable so I could get a good local signal. At the time I had at least 20 channels available to me, the technician said that it was normal, and they would send someone out eventually to correct the filters. It took about two years after I had the cable installed before they finally corrected the filters.

If the house is not recently constructed, I would call customer service and let them know that I was recieving a premium channel incorrectly. If they told me not to worry about it I would write a letter to their customer service department informing them of the issue and send it certified mail. Should it turn out that the former owner was recieving cable illegally then I would have proof that I tried to get someone to come out and fix it.

I do remember reading a story of someone in a similar situation, he got free cable when he moved into his apartment. He called to have the cable shut off several times, but no one ever came out. It was three years before the cable company fixed the problem, then they cable company claimed he was stealing cable. Unfortunately he didn't send a letter to customer service, so he had no proof that he tried to turn it off.