Internet stalker help

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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:59 am

I have this guy on another forum I'm on who has been following me around the board and making accusations, pretty bad ones too. I've reported him to the forum management, this was a few months back, and it stopped. Now it's starting over again and quite frankly, I've had enough.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this clown? I've ignored him, reported him and he still will not go away. Normally I brush stuff like that off but the things he's said are pretty slanderous and plenty of people on there know me.

419Eater Admin Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 7469

Is he a Scientologist? Smile

Sorry, for the little joke, but I've had my fair share of run-ins with quite a few Scientologists whilst I've been away. They can be persistent little buggers.

Anyway, without giving too much away, can you tell us why he started to harass you in the 1st place?

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

^^^
Welcome back Boss.

@Sir Scam-two thoughts without knowing any further info-walk away or sue their ass off.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:24 am

@shiver:

It was a politics thing on a fishing forum of all things. He decided he didn't like me and that was that. I'm not the only person he's done it to. He's falsely accused me of being a Neo-nazi (I'm Jewish) and threatening to physically harm my ex-wife, also a lie.

@Donato:

Can't walk away, this guy is like herpes, he just pops up when you least expect it. The admin are aware of it, they just don't do anything about it.

Chuck Norris Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 1369

Personally, that doesn't sound like any forum I want to hang about, if there is someone knowingly doing these things and the admin doesn't care to do anything about it!

If you think there is real threat of defamation, then keep the legal issue in mind. Do you know this guy's real name? Is your real name known on this forum and to this guy making the accusations? Is there a realistic chance it impacts you negatively in real life (that is, outside of that forum or the internet in general)?

@ shiver--I've also had my run-ins with several, ah, shall we say, "interesting" characters across the inter-webs, Scientologists included, and I definitely share your view on that lot!

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

@Sir Scam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberstalking#In_the_United_States

Oh and nail him for the Neo Nazi sh!t.

edit to add
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/cip/stalk99.htm

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:45 am

@Sir Scam,

You're a baiter. We're baiter's. I think we can come up with something creative here.

But the short version of this is simply bait the fool. Create some other 'members' of that forum and have some fun.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:02 am

As a denizen of several online forums, I am aware of a little thing called the Terms of Service - you know that pages-long legal mumbo-jumbo that we all must claim to have read and understood before we can submit our registration to the forum. (Not taking any bets on how many of the posters on any forum have actually even opened the link.)

Thing is - most forums' TOS specifically prohibit that kind of activity, and on most forums the Moderators will come down hard on a poster for engaging in it. Penalties range from being "on moderation" (where the poster's posts must be approved by the Moderator before being seen in public - and the "waiting for approval" shows up publicly) to being removed from the forum entirely.

I haven't investigated 419Eater thoroughly yet, but in many forums one can ignore other posters - any posts that person puts up will simply be invisible to you. It could make for confusing reading sometimes, but at least it keeps the offending posts away from your eyes.

A person's First Amendment rights do not extend to causing another person harm - physically, financially, or emotionally.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:14 am

I would block if possible. I would forward ALL of the offensive messages to the administration. I would look at the TOS as Titania suggests and quote that back to them. (I am one of the geeks who does read those things.)

I had someone follow me around after I left a Yahoo group because of his behavior. I had to block his email address from any address I knew he had of mine. It is a pain.

I feel for you Sir! Sad

Edited because I forgot to say "HI!" to Shiver Very Happy

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:22 am

unfortunately the internet give us a level of anonymity that some use to commit douchebaggery. the person is probably nothing like that face to face.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:24 am

Hmm so now we know where you have been Shiver. Hows Tom?

@ Sir Scam
There is nothing worse than being stalked. It can really play hell with your personal well being. I've had it in real life twice. One ended in court the other I managed to move towns.
Firstly make a public record asking them to stop.
Gather all the evidence. Make notes on every instance then go legal.
It might be worth while starting a thread on the forum asking who else is being harassed. Use that thread as your place to say Keep away from me.
if enough (it should only take one) complaints are made the mods might well take action.
Then again not all forums have good mods. Many forums are of course interest based and hopefully like minded people join.
However jump over to somewhere like Youtube a facility that is free and read the comments people post. Some people just like to be total dicks and spoil everything because they think they are immune to scrutiny.
They would be the same people I guess that at school would push you in the back at assembly so you would get in trouble.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:10 am

Leave the forum. Simple. If the site owners are not going to keep this guy in check then don't go back, as long as he doesn't know your real life details end of problem.
The attack on your pride will sting but nothing you can do about that I'm afraid.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:20 am

As Rodus said, or if you don't want to leave the forum, request that your current account be closed and ask if you can open a new one with a different user name.

It's no fun being stalked, and stalking is illegal in most places. If it is illegal where you live, try to find out as much as you can about the guy and the stalking laws where he lives. Save all correspondence, any PM's or emails that he sends you - everything. If you have to take him to court or file stalking charges against him, the burden of proof will be on you. Have your evidence ready.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:32 pm

Woooo Nelly
The OP said it was a guy.
We have all referenced the stalker as a male.
There is a very strong chance it (the stalker) may be female.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:40 pm

^^I dont think the sex matters.

I would also look into civil charges against him, especially for the neo-nazi comments. If you are in the US you should be able to do something.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:20 pm

@ Shiver, Welcome back. Very Happy

I was at an "Anonymous" meet a few weeks back. Wink

@SSA, Do you really want to be part of a board that won't protect it's members form such idiots? There are lots of fishing sites. Just leave and take your friends with you.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:18 pm

@ sir scam

That is some piss poor admin that board has. Rolling Eyes

I bet it is some punk kid that is doing this to you.

One thing about boards is that people know what is what, and who is who. I am sure that others there know that the little maggot is a troublemaker with no credibility.

If it was me, I'd torture him by totally ignoring him, and occasionally making fun of him "behind his back". Let him hang himself with his own rope.

If you want to, PM me a link. I enjoy fishing too.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 2:53 pm

It's a guy, in his 40's so I know it's not a kid. I like the forum (Florida Sportsman), it's just that the admin has a habit of ignoring problems and pretending like it doesn't exist. I reported it to a moderator last night, (there's probably 20-50 mods on that site) and not one has got back to me and the post is still there. I can request a name change but that won't stop him for long.

The guy is pretty good at hiding his real name, email address and anything else that would identify him. If anyone has any creative suggestions, let me know.

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

OK-don't quote me on this and don't send the law to my house if it goes pear shaped. But a friend did something similar in a chatroom when they were getting grief off an idiot.

At the forum set up a new account with a username as close looking to his as possible (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)-run it from behind a proxy with all fakey details and an IP stripping email as your link to the site.

When he is on engage in conversation with him-slowly turning the screws so it looks like he is having conversations (preferably ultra embarassing) with himself and is actually a complete fruitcake. Then sit back and watch everyone else take the piss on your behalf.

Another idea consider using another ID to be his buddy-yeah it's gonna suck-to get personal info. If you have any baiting tools such as payg phone or skype/k7 (especially as i'm guessing he doesn't know your voice etc) in fakey details-get him to cough up personal info etc. Then safari his ass to some fishing place and claim a nice hat.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

I thought we only baited lads, not other people who irritate us.

I say go through the avenues to complain to the admins and moderators, and if no one does anything, walk away. If it's bothering you that much, it's not worth staying.
Taking legal action sounds a bit drastic if it's only taking place on an internet forum.
The nice thing about the internet is that when you turn off the computer, all of those people disappear.

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:45 pm

Ima Baeder wrote:

The nice thing about the internet is that when you turn off the computer, all of those people disappear.

That's what you think, as you write that in a fetching little hat, on the second story in the westernmost room of your house. Laughing

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:55 pm

I've complained to another mod, one that is usually pretty cool. I don't feel like wasting my time with baiting him, too many other scum in this world that need my wicked attention.

However, I will be in his area next month possibly. If I see him fishing, I do plan to run my boat at highspeed through the area that he's fishing in and spook all his fish. Laughing

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:07 pm

Quote:

Taking legal action sounds a bit drastic if it's only taking place on an internet forum.
The nice thing about the internet is that when you turn off the computer, all of those people disappear.

This, unfortunately, is the attitude of many people, including many law enforcement agencies. "Only" the internet? What - are the scammers y'all are baiting not "only" on the internet? Is what this yob on the fishing forum is doing not as illegal as what the scammers are doing?

The law is the law, no matter what the specified crime is.

Sorry - I get passionate about scofflaws in any disguise.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

I remember a case about a year or so ago (I think it was in the UK), someone was making derogatory remarks/accusations towards another person on a message board, which was impacting on their real life, that person took legal action for slander or defamation of character, and the messageboard was forced to hand over all details of the person making the comments, their registration details and IP's etc, from which they were traced through their ISP, it eventually went to court, and the person making the remarks was made to pay something like £10,000 in damages to the victim, if I were you, I would go and see a lawyer about it, then have papers served on the fishing site to hand over the details.

[edit]

I can't find a link to that UK case, but I found this US one about a blogger defaming another on a blog:

Blogger ordered to pay millions in libel damages

Quote:

This article notes that a jury has awarded 11.3 million dollars against a blogger who committed libel against an innocent woman by posting that she was a "crook," a "con artist" and a "fraud" on an internet message board:

"Scheff, who bills herself as an educational consultant, "tried to do something to help other parents and she wound up sort of being the object of hateful and vindictive statements," Pollack said. Scheff and her company sometimes get paid for their referrals.

The message of the verdict "is you just can't go out there on these blogs and slander and defame people without having any facts to substantiate what you are stating," Scheff said."

[edit]

Actually, on that link it mentions the UK story:

Quote:

"BLOGGERS beware" is the warning circulating cyberspace since Oldham lecturer Tracy Williams was ordered to pay £10,000 in damages to a man she'd libelled on an internet message board."

Bloggers beware of libel trials

Quote:

"BLOGGERS beware" is the warning circulating cyberspace since Oldham lecturer Tracy Williams was ordered to pay '10,000 in damages to a man she'd libelled on an internet message board.

Michael Keith-Smith sued after Ms Williams began an online campaign of name-calling which started by describing him as "lard brain" and culminated in falsely labelling him a "Nazi" and "racist bigot".

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

I guess for me, it would depend if it's transferring beyond that forum or not.
I have been a member of another forum (not scambaiting) where I had issues with people there. The people who ran it were idiots and broke their own rules constantly. I brought it up, and was ridiculed and bad mouthed. I left. There were no other repercussions and they didn't follow me.