Stalking, Blocked/Restricted Calls, eHarrasment is more than just annoying, it is menacing and scary – you must act quickly to end it or the situation will escalate. Take action with me as we seek to make criminal the use of call restriction and blocking, if YOU need to block your number when you call someone, then you already know you shouldn’t be calling them.
So, my honey says he has a Kite for Kite Boarding and can I please post it for sale on “Greg’s List” [sic] – of course I get that sinking feeling in my gut because I watch “Help Me Howard” and he always does stories on Craig’s List scams. So I say, sure… here it is. Shortly there after I receive a highly suspect email that inquires “Is the item still available ?: – to which I think, “Of course it is! I just posted it with a crappy picture and not much of a description and if I were a buyer I wouldn’t even respond to such a shoddy post.
Anyway, I respond kindly and say “Yes, still available”
I get a second response which reads as follows:
Hello, Thanks for getting back to me,I am satisfy with the price and I am really in need of this item, and i want you to take the ads of Craiglist,I will give you an additional $50 for taking it off, so I will need your full name and address so my secretary can issue a check to you hopefully tomorrow morning,and it will be cashed instantly without any delay, My mover will come for the pickup as soon as you got it cashed, Kindly get back to me asap so we can finalize this transaction in a timely manner. XXXX
To which I respond, (*getting annoyed since the typos tell me this is a scam… )
“Do you even know what I am selling? This is a scam and I am reporting you.”
I went to the “Greg’s List” complaint form and filled it out, and here is a lovely video made available by the kind souls over at the Federal Trade Commission for those of you who are gullible enough to move beyond the ridiculous first email correspondence:
Today was the big day I met with the mediator at Criminal Court and it looks like this whole mess is going Federal – since all the “suspects” actually reside out of state and had contacted me across state lines via phone, email, snail mail, etc. The next step is to take this to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and hand over all the information, etc. this is not something I look forward to doing, but I have no guarantees that these individuals are finished with the harassment.
It is interesting to note that all of the individuals listed in the first blog I posted on the subject either directly or indirectly contacted me in some way or another, either via this blog or by mail, or both which is in itself an admission of guilt.
Of course, when YOU find yourself being harassed via email, comments on your blog and/or are getting aggravating or menacing phone calls/texts/hang ups the FIRST thing you do is take action to protect yourself, I am a good natured person and allowed this situation to go on too long, thinking it was just a big mistake but now I know better and I regret not taking it more seriously much sooner, could have saved myself a lot of grief.
In my case, I am lucky to have a family here in NYC that seeks to protect me, tell me the real truth and look after me from others out there who are just after possibly money – or just to get even. Beware.
*** UPDATE: MARCH 1, 2010 — The situation has not resolved and I continue to receive bizarre, incoherent communications from one of the suspects I listed on the original post. This is exactly why harassment must be STOPPED as soon as it starts. Now I have no choice… I have to take more time out of my busy, beautiful life to deal with this. I am seriously going to speak with friends over at the FCC regarding criminalization of this kind of privacy infringement and seek to OUTLAW use of blocked/restricted calling and the like. Gee whiz! I have better things to do with my time!
I have recently found out that the police were called during Christmas and new year’s eve, exact time/day is not yet known but my neighbors reported that there were 2 incidents during that holiday week, on my property, and that is unacceptable. The court will have to issue a request for the police records during that time in addition to the call traces (using *57 on my land-line via Verizon and TAP service) to add some weight of urgency to this case.
Since my original post, many concerned citizens have forwarded very valuable information regarding harassment enabled by the use of blocked/restricted calls and of course stalking – there is a much deeper psychology that plays into the reasons why any of this may occur, there is a very fine line between stalking and harassment in the eyes of the law and reparations will happen differently depending on how the judge or court hears the claim – I have provided some links to useful information that could help you to keep these types of situations from escalating.
For New York State: http://www.safehorizon.org/page.php?page=stalking_nylaw
Most statutes define stalking as the willful, malicious and repeated following and harassing of another person. In addition to a pattern of conduct, many state laws mandate that an imminent, credible threat of violence be made against the victim for the activity to be considered stalking. But thirty-two states also consider the stalker’s intent to instill fear as illegal, with all but six states defining criminal stalking as any activity that would instill fear in a reasonable person.
Why do I take this so seriously, here is a report from last week, of a 23-year-old woman killed outside her Orlando office by a stalker had asked for a protective order but was denied. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585535,00.html
Resources:
- For Blackberry users, a new service that will be offering more options as they develop and expand their product line, thanks Roseann for reaching out to me! http://www.privacystar.com/Default.aspx
- Very valuable information regarding recent rulings, i.e. California Penal Code 646.9, www.leginfo.ca.gov –> http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs14-stk.htm
- http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs3-hrs2.htm#2
- http://news.cnet.com/FAQ-The-new-annoy-law-explained/2100-1028_3-6025396.html
- http://www.stalkingvictims.com/home.htm
- A very informative site: http://www.safehorizon.org/page.php?page=stalking_nylaw
- http://trac.syr.edu/laws/47/47USC00223.html
- http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/stalker.html
Of course, it is very difficult to get a restraining order or order of protection, BUT if you can prove reasonable damages in Civil Court, there are ways to effect change. Preliminary Hearing is next week and hopefully, with an Advocate on Privacy Policy and support from the Telco’s , maybe we can effect some change.
Why do I care so much?
I lived over a year with fear and helplessness every time my phone rang from a blocked number over and over again, late at night, early in the morning – it effected my ability to work, to sleep and to simply answer my phone – I missed a great deal of work because of the harassment! Since I began writing about it has stopped, but that does not make it “ok“.
Remember, when you sign up for your mobile phone, you are agreeing NOT to abuse the use of said device.
Thank you to all those who reached out to me and shared their stories, I hear you loud and clear!