Last Updated on May 19, 2020 by SCARS Editorial Team

SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS.™ ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Basics: Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking Is The Use Of The Internet Or Other Electronic Means To Track Down, Insert Yourself, Stalk, Or Harass Another Person.

It may include false accusations, defamation, slander, and libel. It may also include monitoring, identity theftIdentity Theft Identity theft is when someone uses another person's personal identifying information, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. In both the U.K. and the United States it is the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else's identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits, and perhaps to cause other person's loss. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences, especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person's name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, bank account or credit card numbers, PINs, electronic signatures, fingerprints, passwords, or any other information that can be used to access a person's financial resources., threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, or gathering information that may be used to threaten, embarrass, or harass.

But it can be as simple as tracking down and inserting yourself in the life of another person, regardless of the intention!

Cyberstalking is often accompanied by realtime or offline stalking. In many jurisdictions, such as California, both are criminalCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. offenses. Both are motivated by a desire to insert yourself into someone’s life, to control, to intimidate, or influence another person (who is the focus or victim of the Cyberstalking).

A stalker may be an online stranger or a person whom the target knows. They may be anonymous and solicit the involvement of other people online who do not even know the target.

Cyberstalking is a criminal offense under various United States and other country anti-stalking, slander, and harassment laws. A conviction can result in a restraining order, probation, or criminal penalties against the assailant, including jail.

For example, tracking down the person who’s face used by scammers in a stolen photo is cyberstalking and it is a crime.

WHAT IT IS

There have been a number of attempts by experts and legislators to define cyberstalking. It is generally understood to be the use of the Internet or other electronic means to hunt down, stalk or harass an individual, a group, or an organization.

Cyberstalking is a form of cyberbullyingCyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyber harassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital universe has expanded and technology has advanced. Cyberbullying is when someone bullies or harasses others on the internet and other digital spaces, particularly on social media sites. Harmful bullying behavior can include posting rumors, threats, sexual remarks, a victims' personal information (Doxing), or pejorative labels (i.e. hate speech). Bullying or harassment can be identified by repeated behavior and an intent to emotional harm. Victims of cyberbullying may experience lower self-esteem, increased suicidal ideation, and various negative emotional responses, including being scared, frustrated, angry, depressed, or PTSD.; the terms are often used interchangeably in the media. Both may include false accusations, defamation, slander, and libel – but that is not required – just the intrusion in another person’s life uninvited can be considered cyberstalking.

Cyberstalking may also include monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, or gathering information that may be used to threaten or harass. Cyberstalking is often accompanied by realtime or offline stalking. Both forms of stalking may be criminal offenses.

Stalking is a continuous process, consisting of a series of actions, each of which may be entirely legal in itself.

Technology ethics professor Lambèr Royakkers defines cyberstalking as “perpetrated by someone without a current relationship with the victim. About the abusive effects of cyberstalking, he writes that:

[Stalking] is a form of mental assault, in which the perpetrator repeatedly, unwantedly, and disruptively breaks into the life-world of the victim, with whom he has no relationship (or no longer has), with motives that are directly or indirectly traceable to the affective sphere. Moreover, the separated acts that make up the intrusion cannot by themselves cause the mental abuse, but do taken together (cumulative effect).

IDENTIFICATION AND DETECTION OF CYBERSTALKING

When identifying cyberstalking “in the field,” and particularly when considering whether to report it to any kind of legal authority, the following features or combination of features can be considered to characterize a true stalking situation:

• malice
• premeditation
• repetition
• distress
• obsession
• vendetta
• no legitimate purpose
• personally directed
• disregarded warnings to stop
• harassment
• threats

A NUMBER OF KEY FACTORS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN CYBERSTALKING:

• False accusations: Many cyberstalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and turn other people against them. They post false information about them on websites. They may set up their own websites, blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post allegations about the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms, or other sites that allow public contributions such as Wikipedia or Amazon.com.
• Attempts to gather information about the victim: Cyberstalkers may approach their victim’s friends, family, and work colleagues to obtain personal information. They may advertise for information on the Internet, or hire a private detective.
• Monitoring their target’s online activities:  Such as attempting to trace their IP addressGeolocation Geolocation is the utilization of a device IP address, along with other device signals, to determine geographical location. An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as 192.0.2.1 that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. An IP Address can be used to locate a physical computer's location. in an effort to gather more information about their victims.
• Encouraging others to harass the victim: Many cyberstalkers try to involve third parties in the harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed the stalker or his/her family in some way or may post the victim’s name and telephone number in order to encourage others to join the pursuit.
• False victimizationVictimization Victimization (or victimization) is the process of being victimized or becoming a victim. The field that studies the process, rates, incidence, effects, and prevalence of victimization is called victimology.: The cyberstalker will claim that the victim is harassing him or her. This phenomenon has been noted in a number of well-known cases.
• Attacks on data and devices: They may try to damage the victim’s computer by sending viruses.
• Ordering goods and services: They order items or subscribe to magazines in the victim’s name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys then having them delivered to the victim’s workplace.
• Attempting or arranging to meet: Young people face a particularly high risk of having cyberstalkers try to set up meetings between them.
• The posting of defamatory or derogatory statements: Using web pages and message boards to incite some response or reaction from their victim.

SUMMARY

Unfortunately, it is fairly common for romance scam victims to obsess over the face in the stolen photos used by the scammers, and victims will invent a variety of reasons why they must hunt down and contact that person. But that act alone is cyberstalking.

If someone is the victim of a scam then report it to the police and let them take legal action. Being a stalker or vigilante is almost never justified.

Likewise, if you have someone stalking you, you need to know that you can report this to your local police and also your national cybercrimesCybercrimes Cybercrime is a crime related to technology, computers, and the Internet. Typical cybercrime are performed by a computer against a computer, or by a hacker using software to attack computers or networks. police (such as the FBIFBI FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes, including financial fraud. via www.IC3.gov)

TAGS: SCARS, Important Article, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Scams, Scammers, Fraudsters, Cybercrime, Crybercriminals, Romance Scams, Scam Victims, Cyberstalking, Stalking, Malice, Premeditation, Repetition, Distress, Obsession, Vendetta, No Legitimate Purpose, Personally Directed, Disregarded Warnings To Stop, Harassment, Threats, Tracking, ImpersonationImpersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone, such as: part of a criminal act such as identity theft, online impersonation scam, or other fraud. This is usually where the criminal is trying to assume the identity of another, in order to commit fraud, such as accessing confidential information or to gain property not belonging to them. Also known as social engineering and impostors. Victims

 

 

 

 

 

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