Those who feel they or a loved one are in imminent danger as a result of cyberbullying, harassment, or cyberstalking should contact local emergency services immediately. It is critical to file a report with the police and obtain a restraining order in order to prevent any additional attempts at cyberstalking.
Cyberstalking
One commits cyberstalking when they use any electronic means to harass or follow another person. The term “cyberstalking” is often used to describe various forms of online harassment. Cyberstalking, or following someone around online or through other electronic means with the intent to harass or stalk them, can result in criminal charges in the United States.
Like traditional stalking, cyberstalking can leave its victims with lasting psychological and sometimes even physical scars. Anyone who is the victim of cyberstalking could experience a variety of mental and physical problems. In addition to other severe consequences, victims of stalking report feeling more fearful, angry, and depressed, as well as having symptoms of PTSD.
Because it often happens in tandem with offline stalking, cyberstalking can be dangerous for the victim. If someone threatens to physically or sexually abuse you, you should call the police.
Types of Cyberstalking
The following three groups correspond to the three most common types of cyberstalking:
- Email stalking: When someone sends threatening or offensive emails to another person on a regular basis, it is known as email stalking. Attackers occasionally disseminate spam and malware via email.
- Internet stalking: This refers to stalking that happens exclusively online, such as circulating rumors or following victims. The goal of rumors is to discredit the victim.
- Hacking into a victim’s computer and seizing control of it constitutes a form of cyberstalking. You will need some serious computer know-how for this.
Examples of Cyberstalking
- Try to demand intimate photos or sex
- Give the target unwanted presents or things.
- Disclose private information on the internet
- Share or post actual or fictitious images of the target
- Send a barrage of intimately graphic images of yourself to the target.
- Make-up posts with the intent to humiliate the victim.
- Installing tracking devices allows you to monitor the target’s online activity.
- Get covert footage by accessing the camera on the target’s computer or mobile device.
- Persist in harassing actions despite being told to stop
- Catfishing is the practice of impersonating someone else on social media to initiate contact with an unsuspecting victim.
Cyberstalking can have far-reaching and potentially devastating consequences. The effects of cyberstalking can be devastating, causing victims to feel alone and worthless. Cyberstalking can have serious psychological and emotional consequences if it is not stopped. It has been connected to suicide in severe cases.
How does this Work?
The cyberstalker researches their target extensively to learn as much as possible about them. They may then begin cyberstalking the target by joining their social networks under a slew of false identities and harassing them in those spaces. This could involve things like sharing private information about the victim online or creating fictitious profiles in the victim’s name.
The goal of a cyberstalker is to harass and intimidate their target until they give up or resort to extreme measures to protect themselves. Someone from a previous relationship may be cyberstalking to exact revenge for the breakup.
Cyberstalking Report
If you want to report cybercrime in the United States, you can do so at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3. Run by the FBI, the principal federal agency in charge of looking into cybercrime,
You can report any cyberstalking incidents or internet-enabled crime right away to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The information gathered from police reports is used for intelligence and investigation. The prompt submission of reports can also aid in the recuperation of stolen funds. For more information, including helpful hints and data on recent crime trends, please visit ic3.gov.
How to Prevent Cyberstalking
If you want to avoid becoming a target of cyberstalking, try adopting these practices:
#1. Hide your IP Address
Many services and programs now reveal your IP address to the other party in an online conversation. It may not seem important, but it relates to details about who you are. For instance, the IP address associated with your home internet service is charged to your credit card and reflected in your monthly statement. Cybercriminals may be able to access your personal and financial information using your IP address.
#2. Adjust Privacy Settings
Changing your profile’s privacy settings is a good place to start. You can manage who can see your content and contact you across most online platforms.
Surveys and coupon applications reveal surprising amounts of personally identifiable information (PII) from respondents. If someone were to obtain such information, cyberstalking would become easier to carry out.
#4. Update your Software
Maintaining up-to-date software is essential in the fight against data loss. Cybercriminals may be able to access your personal and financial information using your IP address. Developers are constantly fixing bugs and making improvements to safeguard your information.
#5. Maintain a Low Profile
Some people may find it challenging to keep a low profile in cyberspace. However, your phone number and home address should never be made public, and you should always be cautious about sharing your location or the identities of the people you are with in real-time.
#6. Keep Locations Secure
Think about turning off the geolocation features in pictures. Additionally, you should post photos of your whereabouts after the fact rather than sharing your location in real-time.
Take care when using dating websites online. Avoid introducing yourself on dating apps and sites by your full name. You should not reveal your full identity, including your name, address, email, and phone number, to anyone you have not met in person and developed a rapport with.
#7. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Even though passphrases are challenging for scammers to decipher, there is always a chance that a cybercriminal will compromise your passphrase in a data breach. You can increase security and make sure that only you have access to your accounts by putting MFA into practice. Whenever MFA is available, it ought to be applied to all accounts. To see if this is an option for you, look into your account’s security settings.
How to Cope With Cyberstalking
#1. Tell the Person to Stop.
The only time you should communicate with someone who is cyberstalking you is to tell them to stop. Simply tell them not to get in touch with you ever again and do not feel the need to elaborate on your response or say anything specific.
#2. Block the Person
Make sure the person who is cyberstalking you is removed from all of your accounts and that you block them. You need to put them on the block list on all of your social media platforms and your mobile device.
#3. Edit Screen Names and Email Addresses
If you are being cyberstalked, changing your email address and using a different screen name could make it harder for your stalker to contact you.
#4. Change Passwords
Change all of your passwords and make sure to do so often, even if there has not been a breach in your accounts.
#5. Suspend Your Internet Accounts, if Necessary
You ought to think about temporarily stopping your social media activity, or at the very least, setting it on hold. Cyberstalkers will find it more difficult to contact you if you are not using the internet frequently.
#6. Keep Proof of Everything
Despite your desire to delete everything, you should preserve copies of all the correspondence that the person who is cyberstalking you has sent you. Make two copies: one for the police and one for yourself.
#7. Notify your Local Police
If you believe you are being cyberstalked, it is critical to report the incident to the authorities. It is crucial to have a formal complaint on file in case the behavior worsens or continues, even if they are unable to take action right away.
Cyberstalking Restraining Order
You have the option of filing a police report and subsequently obtaining a restraining order (order of protection from the court) against the stalker if you are a victim of cyberstalking. According to federal law, obtaining a restraining order does not cost anything. Do not be frightened into taking action against your stalker.
If you find out that someone is “cyberstalking” you, you may be able to get a restraining order against them in many states, regardless of your relationship with them. In addition, domestic stalking is typically grounds for obtaining a restraining order in all but a few states.
Since it is against the law to harass or stalk you in certain states and to stalk someone else, the police have the authority to detain the offender. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to monitor any communication that a harasser or stalker has with you. If the stalker or harasser continues to contact you by phone, text, or email (print out as much as you can, with headers including date and time if possible), or if they engage in any other form of harassment, you may want to consider keeping a record of the interactions.
It is important to know what to expect from the court system if you decide to seek a restraining order. If you want to get the abuser to pay for your damages, you will have to prove that they were abusive and that you suffered actual harm as a result of the abuse. If a restraining order is not granted to restrict contact, you will have to prove that you will sustain irreversible harm. Remember that obtaining a restraining order usually does not allow you to remain anonymous, in part because the offender must be made aware of the person they are prohibited from contacting.
How does Restraining Order Work?
A restraining order is a court decree that places restrictions on what someone can and cannot do. In cases of cyberbullying, a restraining order stops the offender from contacting and harassing the victim in the future.
Cyberstalking is a first-degree misdemeanor if proven guilty of the crime. In Florida, you could spend up to a year in county jail and pay a fine of up to $1,000.
Make a police report. Ensure that they are aware of all incidents and threats. Then apply for a restraining order. The stalker must respect the terms of the restraining order, which prohibits them from approaching you.
Note down each occurrence. Add the date, time, and any other pertinent details. If the events happened online, record them with screenshots. Also, save any proof you have, including voicemails, videotapes, letters, and pictures of damaged property.
Get in touch with organizations that can help you, such as domestic violence hotlines, shelters, counselors, and support groups. Make others aware of the stalking by informing the authorities, your place of employment, close friends and family, and even the neighbors.
Finally, keep your phone handy at all times in case you need to call for assistance.
What Are the Primary Ways of Cyberstalking?
Leaving online comments that are rude, offensive, or suggestive; becoming a member of the same online communities as the target; sending a harassing, controlling, or sexually suggestive message or email to the target; or excessive contact via phone, email, or social networking sites can constitute cyberstalking.
What is the Difference Between Cyberstalking and Harassment?
As a form of cyberbullying, cyberstalking entails following a target around online and engaging in a pattern of harassing, threatening, or otherwise unwanted conduct.
The distinctions between cyberstalking and cyberharassment are contingent upon the intensity, regularity, and legality of the corresponding actions.
When we talk about cyber harassment, we are talking about things like cyberstalking and cyberbullying. It can refer to any form of hostile, offensive, or unsettling conduct that occurs in virtual spaces.
What are the Types of Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking can be classified as vindictive when it involves threats, composed when it involves annoyance and harassment, intimate when it involves former partners or lovers, and collective when it involves multiple people.
What Are the Behaviors of Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking activities can include finding someone’s private and personal information and using it to intimidate them, sending them hundreds of texts a day to alert them to your presence, “creeping” through their social media accounts to find out where they are so you can unexpectedly show up, or posting about them frequently without their consent.
All of them have one thing in common: the behavior causes the target to feel distressed, afraid, or irritated and makes them very concerned for their safety.
Conclusion
Cyberstalking is the practice of persistently harassing a victim by sending upsetting messages through email or other electronic channels. Cyberstalking can occur via text messages, email, social media, online forums, GPS trackers, and other digital communities, channels, or online resources. It is important to file a police report and get a restraining order, so as to prevent further cyberstalking attempts.
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