The Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center (SPARC) is a federally funded project providing education and resources about the crime of stalking. The resource is here to “help the helpers”, making sure that the victim service providers (including domestic violence shelters and rape crisis agencies), campuses, law enforcement agencies, and other service providers such as HPI have the training and resources they need to better respond to victims and survivors.
SPARC categorizes stalking behaviors into SLII strategies: Surveillance, Life Invasion, Intimidation, and Interference through sabotage or attack.
Surveillance
The most common tactic used in stalking is surveillance. Ways that a stalker may use technology to surveil a victim include:
- Monitor online activity
- Access online accounts (email, social media, banking)
- Use location tracking apps and software
- Use GPS or Bluetooth tracking devices
- Use cameras or audio/video recording devices
- Use smart home devices
- Find the victim in online spaces they frequent
- Seek information about the victim online
- Use technology to monitor the victim’s schedule, routine, work, school, activities, and methods of transport
Life Invasion
Life invasion describes ways that the offender shows up in the victim’s life without the victim’s consent. Ways that a stalker may use technology to show up in a victim’s life include:
- Unwanted contact online, through text messages or phone calls, emails, and/or other platforms
- Impersonate the victim online, in text messages or phone calls, and/or through other platforms
- Impersonate others to access the victim (masking or spoofing phone numbers, social media accounts)
- Access or hack into the victim’s accounts and cause harm
- Use technology to find events and locations the victim frequents, and show up at them knowing the victim will be there
- Join online groups, events, and/or spaces with the intent to upset, worry, frighten, slander, monitor, or humiliate the victim
- Create online profiles of the victim with the intent to humiliate them and/or ruin their reputation
- Have unwanted gifts or online orders delivered to the victim
- Spread rumors about the victim online
- Humiliate the victim online
- Harass the victim’s friends, family members, colleagues, or others close to the victim online
Intimidation
Many behaviors are intimidating when considered within the totality of stalking behaviors and with the victim and offender’s relationship and history in mind. Threats can be explicit or implicit. Ways that a stalker may use technology to intimidate a victim include:
- Explicit or implicit threats made online
- Blackmail
- Sextortion
- Threats to post private info, photos, or videos, real or fake
- Threats to interfere with online accounts
- Threats to use technology to interfere with property, employment, finances
- Threats to harm
- Threats to destroy or impede access to technology, online accounts, and/or digital files/photos
- Threats to ruin the victim’s reputation or humiliate them in specific online spaces that are important to them
- Threats to damage or destroy technology, or limit or remove a victim’s access to technology
- Engage in symbolic violence online, like posting or sending violent photos or videos
Interference
Stalkers may interfere in a victim’s life in many ways, affecting everything from the victim’s reputation to their employment and/or physical safety. Ways that a stalker may use technology to sabotage or attack a victim include:
- Post private info, photos, or videos online
- Post fake photos or videos online that depict the victim in compromising or embarrassing situations
- Spread rumors online
- Spread rumors about the victim’s online presence or use of technology
- Dox (publicly post personally identifiable information)
- Swat (prank call to emergency services to prompt a response)
- Control online accounts
- Pose as the victim online
- Use technology to encourage others to harm the victim or their friends, family, or pets
- Interfere with online applications
- Damage or destroy electronic files
- Prohibit or interfere with the victim’s ability to use technology
HPI has decades of experience investigating stalking cases. Our team and associates include highly trained and certified technical investigators capable of forensically examining computers, cell phones and tablets for spyware and data retrieval as well as the ability to examine residences, offices and vehicles for hidden electronic devices such as concealed cameras, microphones and tracking devices.
If you or someone close to you has concerns related to stalking or cyberstalking, please reach out to see how HPI can assist you.