THE INTERNET IS FULL OF GOOD PEOPLE

Before talking to you about stalkers, I first want to tell you that the Internet is a good place. It is full of good people. Some of these good people even networking together to build a better world. Quite simply, some of the kindest people you will ever meet are on the Internet because here, those of us that are normally shy, feel more comfortable being ourselves. We open up and share things we would never have had the courage to share face to face. And that's a good thing, and I hope it stays that way.

Many people are under the "false" impression that the words hackers and online stalkers mean the same thing. This is a false impression put out by the media, servers and government officials. So people get confused by the terms stalker and hacker. The difference is easy to see. Stalkers are people who have an intention to harm an innocent (good person) victim. Hackers on the other hand are simply people with a high level of computer skills that enable them to do things that most of us can't. While some hackers may be stalkers, I have actually found that most of the hackers on the Internet are actually good people trying to protect the innocent. They fight back against spammers, pedophiles, hate groups, corrupt government officials, etc. So remember, Stalkers are bad people. Hackers on the other hand can be good or bad and should not be labeled as stalkers. Why do I write this? Because lately I have been contacted by many hacker groups asking how they can help fight to protect the innocent, and while I decided not to become involved (I do things like this tutorial instead), I think that we as good people should not unfairly label people who cared enough to ask if they could help protect the innocent.

Online stalkers count on the fact that they can hide their identities (until now), or that they can do things in ways that can't be traced to them (or so they think), and that they can essentially go after anyone they want, without fear of retribution, because the victims are like sheep that run and hide rather than fighting back.

What the stalkers didn't know, is that while there are wolves in sheep's clothing, that some of these sheep weren't really sheep. That they were hunters. That these hunters have kept their identities secret, just as the wolves have. That quietly, one by one, they have been catching the wolves and putting them in cages (jail). That the hunters knew if they wanted to catch more wolves, they had to keep a low profile.

I realized before the Internet ever came into being that stalkers (the less courageous ones), would flock to the Internet. That they would be looking for easy prey. That some of them would disguise themselves by using names designed to make you think they were good people. Innocent people. That they would change identities (names) frequently. Hide behind fake email accounts (Sheep's clothing), and harass the innocent (sheep).

So, being a hunter, I tried to figure out how we hunt wolves (stalkers). The first step is to hide the identities of the hunters (until today none of you knew that I was an electronic warfare officer in the military or that I have been working with anti-pedophile groups to learn how to hunt stalkers online), the fact that the hunters were working together (Many of the stalkers are going to be surprised to find out that the sheep have been recording their chats logs, IM logs, emails, etc., and networking this information with others to be handed over to law enforcement). And that the hunters had designed a new super breed of sheep. These sheep have teeth and teeth like Piranha (Imagine the expression on the stalker's face when they realize that every single one of their victims is reading this tutorial on how to put "them" in jail).

And being a hunter, and tipping my hand to the wolves today, I have to tell you that while I am going to give you a lot of good advice on how to hunt (put a stalker in jail), there are a lot of things I am not going to teach you because I realize there are a few wolves reading this. I want to educate you on how to catch a wolf, without teaching the wolves more tricks on how to mess with you.

Dealing with the issue of stalkers is very stressful for some people. As soon as the word stalker comes up, they get tense and afraid. And so their mind is so busy dealing with their fear, that they can't concentrate on "HOW TO CATCH A WOLF."

It is my hope, that by taking this approach, low key, that I reach those that need this advice the most. If you have felt like a sheep, or have a wolf hunting you, I want you to laugh and smile while we are installing your new teeth and teaching you how to take a bite out of crime.

There are millions and millions of good people on the web and only a few wolves. However, good people rarely get talked about, while everyone in the village is going to talk about that one wolf. The gossip and rumors make it appear that there are a whole bunch of wolves when there are actually only a few.

By the way, please forgive me for calling you sheep. I only needed a word for this analogy and intended no offense. As a matter of fact, I kinda think I like the visual image (picture this) of a bunch of sheep having a meeting, telling jokes, using a chalk board to draw out plans just like a football team before the game, while they slip their new teeth in, all the time looking forward with anticipation to the time when the wolf (who thinks he's outsmarted them) tires to mosey down onto the field and blend in. I can see the sheep trying so hard not to start giggling as the wolf sneaks up on them.

I love thinking of it in terms like that. The stalker wants you to see the world one way. I want you to see it in another. The stalker wants you to run with fear, so he can attack your back side. Me, I want you and all your friends to plan this as though it was a game. A game where you never ever let the wolf know that you are a hunter, until it's too late for them. Until it's time to put the wolf in a cage.

So thinking of this as though it were a game, you are able to plan things, plan it with strategies, to at first try to think like a sheep (the traditional run, hide and hope the wolf gives up), think like the wolf (chasing sheep is fun, where can I find more) and then think like a hunter (where will the wolves be, and how do I get them in the cage).

Think of your strategies as though you planning moves in a game, but keep in mind that the consequences of the game can be very real. Be safe!

While to make this less stressful, I have written it in story form, almost as a game, I want to make one thing clear - STALKERS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS! And there is no difference between online stalkers and offline stalkers. They are people who thrive on hurting and abusing others. They are disgusting slime that deserve to spend their lives in jail. My guess is that most of the online stalkers are people who do not have the courage to do this in real life and face to face. They gain their courage by the fact they can use the anonymity of the web. They are like bullies, except they do not have the courage to stand up and fight. And so, most of them, despite that they can pretend to be intimidating, are nothing but chickens hiding behind their computer screens.

One of the questions I asked myself, even before the Internet had come online, was that if there are going to be wolves, and the wolves are going to be hunting sheep, if I was a wolf where would I go to find "Unsuspecting sheep." The sheep that would be the least likely to fight back.

The answer came easy enough. Wolves, once they had been on the net for a while would look for large groups of sheep. They would then look for the groups of sheep that were doing "nice stuff." Wolves despise nice stuff. They would look for the biggest groups of sheep (mailing lists). They would look for sheep that had already been chased by other wolves (abuse groups), and sheep that were having difficulties in their lives (emotional support groups), and sheep that might be feeling a little on the weak side at the moment (Substance support groups).

And I again apologize for the analogy to sheep. But as you see, when you think of it in these terms, it's easy to spot how a stalker (wolf) would think.

Wolves can't simply walk out onto a field full of sheep. Nope, they would have to disguise themselves. They have to blend in.

In the case of a wolf going after large groups of innocent sheep, they often try to blend in using two separate disguises. The first disguise (primary) is as a friend who is leading a similar group of innocent little sheep, and the second disguise is as an unknown little sheep using multiple identities to attack BOTH groups of sheep, all the while under their primary disguise pretending they are helping to fight against the wolf.

In email terms this means that some stalkers are joining mailing lists, with the intention of harassing those lists. They use multiple identities. Their primary identity pretends to be friends with the people they are stalking, while their alternate identities (screen names) stalks and harasses members and leaders of the groups.

Most online editors sooner or later deal with a stalker who is harassing them. The normal thing has been to fight it out with the Internet provider to get the TOS removed. The ISP generally has refused to identify the identity of the person stalking the editor, and so the innocent person has been "guilty" without a trial. While most of the time, we can get these TOS's removed, it is a real hassle because despite we have copies of all the requests to join our lists, the ISP won't tell us who complained.

The good news is that many of the servers are now throwing off the person who is tossing the lists. They are starting to agree with the online editors associations that have presented the fact that, if you ask for something, you request it in writing, and you agreed that TOS rules do not apply, and you then TOS that list for sending what you requested, that this is a form of harassment. This good news means that the harassers are finally getting thrown offline.

However, there is a much simpler way to stop the stalker. A single act of stalking/harassment is now a crime in most states. If someone joins your mailing list, with the intention of trying to harass you by complaining to your server, this is considered HARASSMENT and STALKING. While you should contact your ISP, you should also contact your State Attorney General's office and they will assist you in contacting the brand new Computer Crimes Division in your state. They may actually be able to bring criminal stalking charges based on the fact that this person is intentional stalking you through your service provide. Oh yes, and the Computer Crimes Division can get the real identify of the stalker.

These laws apply to newsletter's that make "false" statements about innocent victims. Intentionally, sending out false information about someone to thousands of people with the intent to harass them, is legally considered stalking. If you are a victim of this kind of stalking, read this to learn how to put the stalker in jail.

One note, often a stalker will try to hide themselves by joining a group of good people, and using the image of that group as a shield to hide behind while they stalk others. This even happens to every online group, even groups like the Knights of Kindness. We have had several people join the Knights, as have other groups, who pretended to be nice, but used the group as a type of shield so that people would not believe "rumors" (the truth) that they were indeed stalkers. And so I want you to know that every group online is probably made up of 99 percent good people, and 1 percent stalkers. Judge people by their actions (remembering some of that may be a cover story to through people off), and not by what groups they may or may not belong too.

Another plan a wolf might come up with, is to start out as an innocent little sheep that has been hurt and wounded by a wolf, to try to blend in with a flock of sheep that have been similarly hurt and wounded by wolves. To befriend the sheep one at a time. To hunt them down in one disguise (wolf) and to pretend in their other disguise (sheep) their are wolves chasing them, too.

Anyone using an analogy like the wolves would quickly realize that, if a stalker (basically an abuser) wanted to look for easy pickings that the best place to find them would be to join an abuse group. That the best way to blend in was to "pretend" to be an abuse victim. To be a friend to everyone using one screen name, while stalking them using fake screen names. The stalker would start out as a victim going to the group. They would go through the healing process and everyone would be happy for them. Eventually they would work their way to the levels of becoming an abuse counselor (what better way to get your intended victim to tell you their worst fears and private information), all the time stalking just a few of those that they were counseling. And the stalkers would eventually try to reach the pinnacle. To become the leader of an abuse group. What greater glory (in their minds) could a stalker have than becoming the leader of the group they are stalking. Once at the top, they could convince those under them that other people are stalkers and actually get good innocent people to start harassing innocent victims. This person, might even be able to get innocent victims who had come for their help, to commit suicide.

I want to state right now. Ninety-nine percent of the people online who are helping others are doing it for the right reasons. They do it because they care. However, we have found a few stalkers working in the emotional support groups and we will do everything in our power to put them in jail. And no, we are not giving out names, we cannot tip our hats. Just as we will not identify those who are stalking online editors etc... The first notification these people are going to get that they have been caught is when the police show up at the door and put the handcuffs on them. And I only wish I could see the expression on their faceswhen they wake up in jail, when their new room mate, (Bubba or Bertha) taps them on the shoulder and asks them to dance.

Another disguise wolves use is the victim disguise. This type of wolf looks for the weakest sheep it can find. Sheep that might even be suicidal. It is similar to the above types except that this wolf while pretending to be a victim, has no intention of ever becoming a leader. Just the opposite. They pretend to be a victim until the end. The wolf pretends to be a sheep in a lot of emotional pain. The wolf pretends to be the victim of stalkers. The wolf pretends to be ill. The wolf pretends to be grasping, barely hanging on. And finally, this wolf when they feel the time is just right, will fake their own death.

We have had several experiences with this type of stalker in the past. They join a group. They look for people who might feel sympathetic or even suicidal. They write letters that really reach into your heart. They want you to care about them. They want you to love them. They want you to cry when they fake their own death. There is one stalker that has faked her own death half a dozen times. Each time this stalker used another fake identity in the group to watch people's reactions when the stalker died. The biggest fear with this type of stalker, is that sometimes the victims of this type of stalking are suicidal. And that when they see their best friend in the whole world commit suicide, they may commit suicide themselves.

All of these types of stalking are criminal offenses. They come into play under state anti-stalking laws, slander laws, harassment laws and in some cases attempted murder surrounding the idea of getting people to commit suicide. This tutorial is designed to educate you about stalkers, state and federal laws that pertain to stalking, and the process on how to put stalkers in jail.

My biggest concern, even more than the stalkers themselves, is that you do not let this letter discourage you from seeking help, or from making friends. Ninety-nine percent of the people that I have met online are good, honest and caring. Do not be afraid to join a support group. Do not be afraid to get close to others. Do not be afraid to make friends. Remember there are good people. That if you become afraid to make friends, or seek help, that the stalkers have already won. Instead, I am simply saying that you should be educated about real life on the Internet so that you can make informed decisions on who you talk to, and about what.

Let's go back to the wolf analogy again. Let's say you are a wolf and you are wanting to stalk a sheep just for fun. Would you pick a sheep on the far side of the field, one that you would never talk to? A sheep that was so far away you could never see the fear in their eyes (stalkers love to see you show fear). Probably not, it simply wouldn't be much fun for the wolf. Instead the wolf would need to find a way to get close to their intended victim. So that they could find a way to watch.

What we have found is that stalkers, almost always stalk someone they know. This can be in-person (real life), an online friend, lover or a celebrity (the stalker feels they know the celebrity even though the celebrity doesn't know them). Stalkers simply do not enjoy stalking unless they get to see "the fear in the sheep's eyes."

For this reason, most online stalkers use multiple identities. One of these identities will stalk you. Another will pretend to be your best friend, or even a friend of a friend. When you get stalked, they want to hear about it.

What is the best way for a stalker to get you to open up and tell them to what the stalker is doing to you, and what you are doing about it? The answer, they pretend to be your best friend, and they pretend they are getting stalked, too. I am currently aware of over a dozen online stalkers, and in almost every case, the stalker, is pretending to be the victim of a stalker, too. The victim is getting stalked and wants advice. And so they turn to their supposed friend (the stalker) and tell them all about it. And the stalker tells them all the things their imaginary stalker is doing to them. It is a very close bond. The stalker is now the best friend of the victim.

So, if you are being stalked, you need to carefully consider anything anyone tells you about getting stalked themselves. Don't get me wrong, it is entirely possible they are telling the truth and you are both being stalked. But, at the same time, consider that the stalker may be hiding their identity by pretending to be a stalking victim.

Call blocking is another alternative. This is available from most phone companies, with many phones, and with some computer software where your phone runs thru your computer. What this does is basically say to the stalker "Sorry, the person you are dialing is refusing to take your calls." This means the stalker has to go find another phone. If a stalker calls, don't say anything, simply hang up gently and block that number too. Now remember, it took them ten minutes to drive to the phone booth, it took you ten seconds to block them. Now they drive to another phone booth, and you block that. Imagine how frustrating it must be for them when they have to spend the whole night driving from phone booth to phone booth, while you sit in your nice warm house. They while they get blocked and you have a good laugh while you watch TV.

For many years, stalkers were able to get away with harassing innocent victims. There were few laws to protect the innocent. And the laws that were available were highly ineffective. It got so that stalkers thought they were immune from prosecution. There were no stalker laws and harassment laws required a huge burden of proof and the ability to demonstrate a pattern of harassing behavior.

However, the laws have been changed. In most states, a stalker can now receive several years in prison for the FIRST OFFENSE. The victim no longer needs to show a pattern. There do not have to be multiple incidents. Instead, where the burden of proof used to lay with the victim, now the courts are handing out sentences to first time stalkers.

NEW STALKER LAWS state that it takes only one incident where it can be shown there was an intent to harass or otherwise stalk to get a conviction. What this means to you is, if someone stalks you, and you get the police involved, that person can be put in prison for the very first offense.

We have compiled a large list of federal, state and private agencies that can help victims of stalkers.

KnightsOfKindness.com  -  Stalkers  - Victim Services

KnightsOfKindness.com  -  Law  -  Crime Victim Assistance

The following is a site where you can go to read the stalker laws of your state, and of the state where the stalker lives. Educating yourself about these laws can be a big help in getting the police to act.

KnightsOfKindness.com/stalkers/laws.htm

EXAMPLE

The following is a history of how ________, has been harassing and stalking me. The comments in black are the what the stalker did to me, and I have attached a copy with more details that you can find by using the reference numbers. The comments in red, are what I did to try to stop the harassment and the resulting actions of those I contacted for help.

Jan 1 - Harassing email screen name ______ (See --> Jan 1 - ______ )
_____ wrote a harassing letter to me using screen name ______
I wrote a letter to ISP about harassment by _____
I called the ISP at (___)___-____, spoke to ______, and they said they were going to _______

Jan 2 - Harassing email screen name_______ (See --> ______ - Jan 2)
_____ wrote a second harassing letter to me using screen name ______
I wrote a letter to ISP about harassment by _____
I called the ISP at (___)___-____, spoke to ______, and they said they were going to _______

Jan 3 - Harassing email screen name _______ (See --> _____ - Jan 3)
______ wrote a harassing letter to me using a different screen name ______
I called the ISP at (___)__-____, spoke to ____.
They confirmed that the screen names ____ and ___ are both the same person
I followed the letter up with a certified letter to _____

Jan 4 - Harassing Phone Calls (See--> _____ - Jan 4)
Received harassing phone calls at 1:38 pm, 3:47 pm a 5:27 pm
I contacted _____ at the phone company at (___)___-____, and filed a complaint
I filed a police report with officer _____, case number _____
My phone was tapped at this point with all harassing calls being passed to the police

Jan 5 - More harassing calls (See -->_____ - Jan 5)
Harassing calls received at 1:38 pm, and 5:27 pm
I contacted the phone company _____ and officer _______
Officer confirmed call originated at stalkers home
Action by the police was ________

Jan 6 - Filed a restraining Order (See --> ____ - Jan 6)
Judge granted restraining order because the stalker did show up for to court


Jan 7 - Filed harassment and stalking charges (See --> _____ - Jan 7)
Six victims (names and phone numbers) jointly filed charges of stalking and harassment
Copies of their logs are attached (See Other Victims)

Jan 8 - Filed a lawsuit for harassment and stalking

Jan 9 - Stalker arrested

When you organize the information to give to each of those involved (Police, reporters, other victims that you are sure are not the stalker) it makes it much easier for them to act. You will see a difference in the way they respond to your request for assistance compared to how they would have responded if you had contacted them and given them stuff like "I think it was on ____?" Remember, to help you, they have to present the information to their supervisors and to a judge. Organization of the information is critical. Also by organizing the information in this manner it makes it easy to compare information with other victims.

National Association of Attorney Generals

According to the specialists I spoke to that deal in computer crimes, they told me that the best way to get law enforcement help with an online stalker is to send a letter or email to your State Attorney General. State Attorney General's are basically the politicians that run programs like the computer crimes division. My understanding of it is, that being politicians, the State Attorney Generals are highly motivated to act on your behalf. They want your vote and they want to avoid bad press. So, you forward them a letter, they will then either tell you who can help, or forward your letter to the appropriate law enforcement person (Generally computer crimes division). Now your letter started with the top person in your state in law enforcement. They sent your case to computer crimes. Computer crimes is now highly motivated to help you, because instead of an average person off the street calling in, the State Attorney General's office called in for you.

The people I talked to were great. They were wonderful. And very helpful. Hopefully all of the offices are like this. If however, you can't get any help, then you can approach this from a political angle... What I write below is how I used politics to get a gang out of a high school.

EXAMPLE

At our local high school there was a problem with a gang beating up the children. These gangs were supposedly affiliated with a national gang. The members were all known to be gang members. They repeatedly held down students while other members beat them. It was generally six or more gang members fighting one innocent member. My former love's daughter was beaten up severely two days in a row. I went to the school, and the principal was basically sitting on his hands. He said there was little they could do, despite witnesses. He simply said. "they could suspend the gang members for a few days, but they could not remove them from the school." Well, I refused to accept that. So I wrote a letter about what had happened, and sent it out as a fax with copies posted to the Governor, Lt. Governor, Mayor, every city council member, every school board member, about twenty different departments dealing with juvenile justice, the chief of police, the sheriff, the principal (made his day - Not!) and the local news media. That night, it made all the local news channels. Two weeks later, every single member of that gang had been removed from our school system. Why did it work? Because every person on the list saw everyone else. They all saw there was an opportunity to be shown as a hero, or as the only person that was caught sitting on their hands. Simply, I played them all off of one another.

Reporters love to tell stories in the news about the Internet. Stalker stories are perfect for most of them. I personally hate to see stories go out about the bad side of the net. I would much rather see good stories go out. But your safety is the most important thing of all. If you call your local reporters (or some of you with the bigger mailing lists, the national reporters) they may want to do a story. Many of them would love to get involved in hunting a stalker on the Internet. Because it means they get a big exclusive that they can run on the news.

If you get the press involved, they can often find out information about the stalker, that you may not have been able to do on your own. The press generally has good contacts with the police (Remember the chief of police is often a politician who needs good press) and in order to get the story on the air they may help you make the right connections with the police. Simply the press can open doors that may be closed to you, and so offer them a story in exchange for their help.

Anyone knowing any reporters wanting to run stories on online stalkers please ask them to contact