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A woman has shared her story of being cyberstalked by her estranged husband in the hopes of saving others from the same fate.
Jennifer, whose name has been changed to protect privacy, told DailyMail.com her nightmare began when she started receiving strange notifications that her social media accounts were being accessed from unrecognizable locations.
“I quickly made sure to block the person stalking me on social accounts and make them private, as well as those close to him who might inadvertently give him information,” she said.
‘It was scary not feeling like I could communicate the way I normally do. I’m now more aware of the information I share on the web to reduce my risks.’
She said using privacy tools like blocking and limiting the amount you share online is crucial.
Signs of online stalking can be subtle (Shutterstock)
Cyberstalking affects millions of Americans, with three million people being stalked using the technology in 2019, according to the US Department of Justice.
The alarming fact that very few people know is that 67 percent of cyberstalking victims know who is stalking them, according to US government research.
Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security, told DailyMail.com: “Our digital and physical worlds are more intertwined than ever before.
“We are increasingly seeing the real-life repercussions of online behavior, and the effects of malicious actions can be devastating for victims.”
Guccione and Jennifer said there are several warning signs that you may be being cyberstalked.
Password reset requests
If you’ve ever received a request to reset your social media, email or even bank account password and didn’t do it, be skeptical, Guccione said.
“This could be a sign that someone is trying to change your passwords to keep you out of your accounts and control your personal or financial information,” Cuccione said.
“If an attacker can take over those accounts, the damage could be far-reaching and severe.”
People who pretend to be you
The classic sign of cyberstalking is finding profiles pretending to be you on social media – abusers can use these fake profiles to post unpleasant stories or harass friends.
People pretending to be you online can be a sign that you are being cyberstalked
“If you think a user has created new accounts with the intention of harassing you, you can block those accounts as well and report the user, as most websites have a policy against this behavior,” Guccione said.
People who share your private information with you
If people on social media are eager to share information that only you or people close to you should know, that could be a clear sign that the profile is fake, Guccione said.
If you are being cyberstalked, you should “lock down” your social media profiles as much as possible and notify customer support.
Log in from unusual sites
Jennifer found she was getting notifications that her account was being logged into in unusual places — and then she realized what those places were.
She told DailyMail.com: ‘I started getting notifications of unknown login attempts on some of my accounts.
“If you think a user has created new accounts with the intention of harassing you, you can block those accounts as well, and report the user, as most websites have a policy against this behavior,” said Darren Guccione of Keeper Security.
“When I looked at where they were coming from, I discovered that these logins were coming from my estranged husband’s location — sometimes from the home we used to share and sometimes from his work location.”
Unexplained parcel arrival
If unwanted Amazon packages arrive at your home, for example, that’s a clear sign of cyberstalking behavior.
Cyber stalkers want to show their victims that they have information about them (such as their address) to create fear.
Fake profiles that befriend you
Cyber stalkers typically create fake social media profiles to harass victims, Guccione said.
Most social networks have strict rules about people creating multiple fake accounts: If this happens to you, contact customer support and see if they can help.
People are showing up in the places you mentioned online
“Online harassment and stalking is not always limited to the digital world,” Guccione said.
“The lines can be blurred between cyber and physical stalking and physical security should not be neglected. Using a VPN service and disabling geotagging on the digital images you share online will ensure that your real location cannot be traced to your attacker.
(Tags for translation) Daily Mail