How To Deal With Online Stalkers

By Kennedy Badger, June 27, 2017

Face it, we live in a digital age and as such we’ve found ourselves losing a great deal of the privacy that we used to enjoy as human beings. Now that we’ve opened ourselves up online, certain consequences may follow. Too often that consequence comes in the form of thousands of cheesy horror movie ideas: the cyber stalker.

You’ve seen it before in bad Lifetime movies, old anime films, or even from the lips of an acquaintance. The protagonist of the story begins receiving messages from an unknown source, each one creepier and more bizarre than the last. Sometimes the stalker sends pictures or threatens to leak sensitive information.

Either way, it’s not something you should ever have to deal with. Here are a few tips on how to make sure that your life doesn’t become a Dateline special:

1. Don’t: Share Passwords or Personal Information

In your quest to become Insta-famous, always remember that some things need to stay private. Information like your home address, your personal email address, your private phone number, and your social media passwords could be hazardous in the wrong hands. It’s important to make sure that you’re not sharing those online.

Sometimes, scummy websites allow potential stalkers to reverse email address search in order to find out some of your information. Countless others farm your information and sell it to the highest bidders, or you could be the victim of a Trojan attack.

If you sense your information is at risk of being stalker-nabbed, make sure to change your passwords and take down anything that might reveal where you could be.

2. Don’t: Feed the Trolls

If you put yourself out there on the internet, you’re bound to garner some negative attention every now and then, whether or not you feel you deserve it. A lot of times people will leave hurtful comments just because they can, or simply because hiding behind a computer screen makes them feel bigger.

If you receive excessively harsh comments, don’t play into the poster’s hands and comment back. That’s exactly what they want you to do, and it opens up a whole can of worms that should just stay closed. Let them play their little games alone.

3. Do: Play Nicely

Cyberstalkers are looking for reasons to defraud and defame you. They want every little bit of dirty laundry you have to air. It’s important to make sure that you’re not egging it on by trying to fight fire with fire.

Stalkers aren’t the kind to stop if you start bullying as well. If anything, they will double down and try to destroy you even harder. If you can’t get them to stop with nice words, enlist legal help instead of trying to handle things yourself.

4. Do: Save EVERYTHING

Make sure to take a log of everything. Due to the social nature of the internet, laws have been and are being passed to protect people from cyber-stalkers and other forms of online harassment.

If you’re being harassed online, make sure to take screenshots at every chance, keep every email, and copy down every mean or creepy comment. If you have proof, you can be protected. If you don’t keep a paper trail, they can’t do anything about it, unfortunately. Every little thing you keep is a step in the right direction for you.

Remember

Cyber-stalking is a crime and it can be prosecuted. You may be the victim, but you are not defenseless. With these tips in your arsenal, you can be sure to protect yourself and any others who may find themselves in this position. If something creepy happens to you or a loved one, please go to the proper authorities. The world is full of terrifying, unpredictable people and we care about you here at http://socialcatfish.com You’ll be okay in the end.