As if being stalked wasn’t bad enough in the time before we had access to one another in cyberspace- now stalkers have gone high tech with their aggressiveness- and stalking has taken on an even darker and more frightening patina.
Stalkers are now placing online ads posing as their intended victim, in which they state that they are looking for sex (and more)- and the woman’s pictures and address are included so she can easily be found and identified by any interested taker. So far it appears that cyber stalking is being carried on by men against women- but certainly any would-be female stalker could get creative and cause a great deal of stress and possible harm to a man she has it out for.
Talk about the good old days. Back then, women being stalked had to guard against one man. Friends, co-workers, lovers and family knew who to look out for and restraining orders could be put in place that offered some additional protection. Those incidents were terrifying and too often had a tragic ending due to how hard it was to truly safeguard the victim. Now, a cyber stalking victims has to deal with (in some cases) a number of men who show up at her door asking for and even demanding the sex she had allegedly offered in her ad They often become verbally belligerent and physically aggressive when they are told that what they came for isn’t available- and never will be.
Imagine being one of these victims who has either attracted the attention of the wrong stranger or who had dated and broken up with the wrong guy- and then finds her security and sanity are at risk because of it. There are a few cases in the courts now where men are being prosecuted for cyber stalking. The stories of their victims are chilling, especially because any one of us is at risk for something like this.
The take away here is that it is never smart to let your guard down with someone you don’t know very well, to ignore your instincts when they tell you something or someone is off- or to take your safety for granted. It doesn’t matter how many security systems and guard dogs you may have, when you are used as bait for men with bad intentions, you are vulnerable. Don’t let yourself get on the radar of the wrong guy.
