123Movies is a free movie streaming site from Vietnam, which was surfaced in 2015 and had 96 million users at its peak. The site was once one of the most popular websites for illegal movie downloads but has faced legal actions for copyright infringement.
Today, the website isn’t officially operated by anyone, but some mirror sites have a direct affiliation with the website and still continue to show video content.
How to Surf 123Movies Safely:
Avoid the Mobile App:
The official 123movies.to is not accessible anymore, but with the help of VPNs and simple google search, you can access the cloned websites with the latest content available. But not all of the mirrored websites are not safe. To secure yourself from viruses and malware while browsing 123Movies, follow the steps mentioned below.
The most dangerous are mobile apps that have cloned themselves to look like 123Movies but have no association with the original website. These apps leave you in a very vulnerable position after being installed. While asking permission to write and read your internal storage, they extract personal information and even files to blackmail you or obtain bank details and passwords. It’s smart to avoid mobile apps to browse 123Movies.
There have been several instances of real users getting scammed by these apps on the internet.
Legal Repercussions:
While stumbling upon copyrighted materials shared illegally on the internet is not a crime in itself, but sharing those is. And users still can be booked with criminal codes for illegally downloading movies or other video content.
Some countries like Poland and Spain still allow users to download copyrighted content for individual use, but not sharing.
Accessing the site with VPNs can safeguard you from the authorities, but there have been instances where governments have arrested individuals to set an example.
Stay Away from Viruses:
While streaming content from an illegal source like 123Movies doesn’t guarantee the involvement of authorities, but the viruses are going to notice you. Do not indulge in suspicious popups promising monetary benefits for clicking a link.
Not only the link but certain websites can also be used for phishing private information from the user. Do not create an account with the same password and email as your banking website. These websites encourage you to use a strong password, in order to leave you frustrated and vulnerable to use the same password as your bank.
Criminals plant HTTP or PHP code on mirrored websites to plant viruses on your device. Don’t visit a mirrored website without certain certifications.
The constant pop-ups can also install malicious software on your device without you noticing anything.
Last but not the least, do not share credit card information on these websites. The page, looking like any typical payment portal, is not. It’s a trap.
Anything above this point is not certain, but this one is. You are certainly going to lose money if you provide your details to an illegal site.
We don’t recommend or endorse 123Movies and are certainly not encouraging you to visit the website.
