Are you getting unwanted attention and behavior from a person, such that you are feeling harassed and threatened? You may be a victim of stalking. This could be low intensity stalking such as getting dropped calls, or high intensity stalking such as someone following you to your house and lurking nearby over the course of days or weeks. Other elements of stalking include the unauthorized collecting of information, threats, and contact that is meant to cause fear. Anyone can be a victim of stalking; from a teenage girl to large company’s CEO.
The internet has also introduced the art of cyberstalking. Often, a cyber-stalking victim does not realize they are a target. The cyberstalker has a wider range of tools to do the stalking. Any victim of cyberstalking should take it seriously because any type of online stalking could escalate to the point of becoming physical or even harmful. Even in the absence of physical harm, there is often mental and emotional trauma.
Some forms of conventional stalking include;
- Giving unwanted gifts (flowers, jewelry, etc.)
- Making unwanted phone calls
- Following the victim
- Unwelcome surveillance of the victim
- Spreading false information about the victim
- Trespassing and/or breaking and entering
- Contacting the place of work
- Threatening to harm the victim, their friends or family, or themselves
- Damaging the victim’s property
Cyberstalking behaviors include;
- Harassing emails
- Spamming text messages
- Unwanted attention on social media sites
- Hacking phones or computers or personal websites
- Planted spying bugs and electronic listening devices
- Unauthorized GPS tracking
Proving the 
case.
The problem is that most of these behaviors by themselves do not constitute crimes. There has to be proof that these behaviors are in a pattern. Unfortunately, most stalking victim do not realize that they are being stalked until it is too late.
How Private Investigators can help?
In Canada, a stalking victim can seek the assistance of a private investigator to collect evidence on the stalker(s). Often, private investigators are a better resource to help deal with a stalking case than the police. They possess the tools and equipment that can trace phone numbers, emails, license plates and other things that may be used in cyberstalking behavior.
Private investigators in Canada are licensed to use tools that aid in protecting a stalking victim as well as collect evidence. These could involve:
- Placing video surveillance on a victim to catch the stalker in action
- Conducting counter surveillance
- Assisting with the changing of home and office locks, phone numbers, email addresses, vehicle license plates, etc.
- Registering new post office boxes to act as home mailing address on all documentation that a stalker could obtain
- Registering a vehicle to another entity e.g. post office box
- Using cyber surveillance tools to launch a counter-surveillance operation on the stalker
Getting professional help is very important as soon as you notice you are being stalked. It can prevent the situation from escalating to an irreversible damage case.
