What is Cyber stalking?
Cyber stalking is the use of the Internet or cell phones to harass an individual, a group of individuals or an organization.
It may include false accusations, monitoring, making threats, and identity theft. It also can be damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sex or gathering information in order to harass.
In the state of Florida, cyberstalking a minor under 16 years of age, is a third degree felony.
According to Action News in Jacksonville, Florida, a teen was arrested for cyber stalking. The teenager is accused of posting pictures on a porn site.
The police report stated after the pictures were posted, the victim started getting harassing phone calls asking for sexual favors. Police eventually linked the pictures to Shannon Marie Mitchell through her IP address.
In the report, Mitchell admitted to the harassment and said she would not stop harassing the victim.The teenage victim started to get weird phone calls and text messages. Police tracked it all down to the world wide web and social sites like Myspace and Facebook.
According to WCJB-TV in North Central Florida, an Ocala girl has been charged with aggravated cyberstalking. Marion County Sheriff's Deputies linked Mitchell and 15-year-old victim, to the adult porn site. The suspect, a senior at Vanguard High School in Ocala, maintains several social networking accounts. But it was her post on one particular site, that brought her to the Juvenile Detention Center in Ocala.
According to deputies, Mitchell posted photos along with a phone number of her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, who is 15, on a porn site.
"Along with putting the photo up there," Judge Cochran, spokesperson for Marion County Sheriff's Office said, "She also put some comments, basically, saying this person will do these particular sexual acts."
Deputies say adult men started calling the 15-year-old girl. Investigators contacted the porn website, which provided the IP address behind the posts.
Deputies say Mitchell has been released from the Juvenile Detention Center and is waiting for her court date. If convicted she could face up to a $5,000 fine, and a maximum of five years in prison.
According to Helium.com, federal authorities estimated there were 500,000 to 750,000 predators online daily last year. Stalkers find their victims in chat rooms, message forums, online blogs, and very frequently in the social networking websites.
A few years ago, a 50-year-old security guard made advances toward a young woman and she rejected him. To get revenge, he impersonated her in chats, posted her phone number on message boards by making post in her name.
The harassment took place at all hours of the night with men knocking on her door announcing that they wanted to rape her. He was convicted and received six years in prison.
A 13-year-old girl met a man on the Internet, whom she believed to be a peer near her age. The 47-year-old man, posing as a teen, was able to get personal information that led him to her home.
A month after their meeting, the man kidnapped her from her home. The signs of fighting and her broken glasses led authorities to believe that she fought with her assailant. The man was identified through his Internet messages and authorities tracked him down.
He shot himself as the officers entered, and sadly, they found the young girl dead from a gunshot wound. Further evidence led authorities to believe that the 13-year-old girl was not his first and only victim.
I have had personal experience with cyber bullying and cyber stalking.
To protect yourself on social websites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc, do not put personal information that can get out to people you don't know. The consequences are very serious.
