Cyberstalking is real, and it happens more often than you think. However, how can you tell if you’re being stalked online or having a devoted follower? There are a few signs of being stalked online that you can look out for.
Knowing these signs is a great way to ensure that you detect an online stalker as early as possible. Although you might think that an online stalker is harmless because the two of you aren’t in physical contact with one another, this simply isn’t always the case.
Your online stalker could be someone that you see every day who’s using a fake profile to follow you with. This person could also be a stranger who found you online, but unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for professional stalkers to learn of your physical whereabouts.
The best thing to do when you suspect you’re being stalked online is to keep an eye out for these signs listed below!
1. Constant Messaging
In many cases, an online stalker will send messages to you on a consistent basis. The stalker is looking for a response of any kind from you. Unless it’s someone who you know personally and speak to on a regular basis, someone sending you constant messages is suspicious.
If you don’t respond to this stalker and the stalker becomes aggressive, then this can also confirm for you that it is, indeed, a stalker. Stalkers also tend to send inappropriate pictures to the person that’s being stalked. These messages can be on any of your social media accounts or even on your cell phone.
2. Running Into Someone Frequently
You run out to the store to grab a few house supplies or maybe even food for dinner. Your eyes suddenly fall upon a familiar face. You’re not sure where you’ve seen this person before, but you know you’ve seen him or her somewhere.
Are they stalking you? Where they at the store when you were last week as well? Were they at the gas station when you stopped to get gas yesterday?
If you’re constantly running into the same person while out and about, then you need to be wary of a stalker. Even if you know the person from an old job, school, or somewhere else, you shouldn’t always be running into him or her.
3. The Same Follower on All Platforms
You believe that one of your followers is suspicious. He or she follows you on your favorite social media platform, and you’ve noticed it. Maybe this person sends you messages, or maybe they comment on your posts.
Whatever the reason may be, you’ve taken notice of his or her presence, but you aren’t sure if this is enough to call them a stalker. To confirm your suspicions, take a look at your other social media accounts. Is the same person following you on those as well?
Is not the same person following you on those accounts but another suspicious account that you don’t know? This could be the same person in disguise.
4. Suspicious Follower Following Family Members
In some cases, stalkers will even go as far as to follow your friends and family members as well. Take a few minutes to see if the suspected person is following your family members and friends as well. If this person is a stalker, they’ll want to know everything about you that he or she can know.
Following your friends and family members is just one more way for them to keep tabs on you. If someone you know posts something about you or having to do with you, your stalker will use this information.
5. Someone Impersonating a Friend
When stalkers are looking for ways to blackmail you, they’ll try impersonating your friends. In some cases, they’ll message you from a friend’s account that they hacked saying that they need your credentials to look at someone else’s account from yours.
Because it’s from a friend’s account, you’ll be tempted to believe them and then send your social media account credentials. This is why you should never give out your username or password to anyone.
6. Someone Threatens You and Blackmails You
If you’re being blackmailed or threatened, then this is another sure sign of a stalker. They’ll threaten you and your friends and family if you block them or don’t respond to them. They might even threaten self-harm, especially if it’s someone you know.
However, keep in mind that harassment isn’t always someone threaten you. Harassment can also be someone who’s being nice to you but sending you constant messages even if they’re nice messages. If you do ever feel threatened in any way, be sure to contact electronic harassment lawyers whose jobs are to handle these types of cases.
7. Verbal Abuse on Comments
Private messages aren’t the only way stalkers can harass you. Stalkers can also verbally abuse you by commenting on your posts. If you notice that this person is commenting on your posts constantly and leaving abusive comments whether they seem to be nice or not, then you might have a stalker on your hands.
Have you ever had to block someone from commenting on your page and then days later found someone else commenting? This could be the same person using a new account.
Have You Noticed Any of These Signs of Being Stalked Online?
It can be hard for the police to deal with online abuse, particularly when many threats are made anonymously, however even if you are aware who may be doing this, it may be hard for them to prosecute. As such, it can be worth hiring a private investigator and if you don’t feel safe you can also contract a private security service for you, your property and family to keep them safe.
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