If you have never been the victim of a cyber stalker you probably just assume that if a crazed cyber bully ever targets you all you need to do is make a simple police report and the crime will be investigated and prosecuted. Nothing could be further from the truth and no one knows this better than victims of cyber stalkers and the private investigators they hire to locate and identify the stalkers.

Unfortunately the victims of these kinds of crimes know all too well that after making a police report the sad fact is that nothing ever comes of it. The patrolman that show up to take the initial report do not see it as a serious threat. They will suggest the victim turn off their computer, ignore the stalking, delete the emails unread. These officers are accustomed to visiting homes on domestic violence calls and burglaries and they just don’t understand the impact cyber stalking and bullying has on the victims.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m frequently approached by people who say they want to help battered women in divorce court struggling over the threat of losing custody of their children.

These people have the purest of intentions. What they may be missing is the plan.

I hear things like:

a) We need to increase awareness about the failings of the system. Or,

b) We need to help these women recover from the abuse of the courts and the transgressions of the court agents.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever wondered how police in real life trace emails and locate and identify cyber stalkers? Is it really like they show on those TV CSI cop shows? Unfortunately no, in real life there are many limitations on local police when it comes to locating and identifying cyber stalkers. On tv you’ll see a high tech computer crimes lab full of expensive equipment and manned with dozens of officers. In reality a local police dept computer crimes unit may be as small as one officer and one computer.

Wen a victim of a cyber bully becomes concerned about their safety and well being they will usually turn to the local police dept. Once the local police take that compliant several things may happen. hey may choose not to investigate further thinking that it is not a serious enough threat to devote manpower and recourses to investigate further.

Read the rest of this entry »