Common Terms When Talking About Stalking

Address Confidentiality Programs (ACPs): ACPs help stalking victims keep their home addresses out of the hands of their stalkers. 33 states currently have ACPs. Each state’s program is slightly different. This is a link to a list of ACPs with contact information for each program.

Orders of Protection/Restraining Orders: Orders of Protection or Restraining Orders (depending on your state) are official orders from a court saying that one person cannot come within some distance of another person. In order to get such an order you have to go to court and prove that you are in danger or are being harassed by another person. The police and district attorneys in your area can help you decide if this is the right thing for your circumstance. In order to join an Address Confidentiality Program many states require an Order of Protection. (See ACP definition above)

Call Trace: A call trace may be used to track down harassing calls. Immediately after receiving a harassing call, a victim can enter the code *57 on the phone and the call is automatically traced. Call Trace must be set up in advance by the person receiving the calls, and it requires a fee for use. The one exception is a situation where the phone company would normally use a Call Trap (see definition below). A victim may not be charged if the phone company suggests that Call Trace be used as an alternative. Be sure to ask.

Call Trap: If a victim consistently receives threatening phone calls, a phone company can set up a “Trap” on the phone line. The Trap allows the phone company to determine the origin of the calls. The victim must keep a log noting the time and date the harassing calls are received. Traps are usually set up for no more than two weeks, and the phone company does not charge a fee for Traps.

Cyber Stalking: Traditionally, stalking has been a crime that takes place in the physical world. But, as more of our lives take place online, stalking behavior has expanded to online activities. Cyber stalking is using Internet sites and tools to harass or put a victim in fear of harm. Cyber stalking happens in a number of ways: a cyber-stalker might post damaging information about his or her victim (sometimes truthful information but not always), access a victim’s email and online banking accounts, ruin a victim’s credit with online purchases, send lewd or obscene emails to a victim or other things. It’s become common to call online research about others “stalking” but the difference between looking someone up online and seeing information that he or she makes public is huge. One is an increasing part of the way we function online and the other is dangerous and possibly criminal.

Data Broker and People Search Sites: A people search site is a website that allows you to find information about people using the Internet. There are many of them and each offers a slightly different type or amount of information. You may have seen these results when googling your own name e.g. “find Jane Doe’s address for $14.99, click here.” Stalkers have been known to track their victims to new addresses with the help of people search sites. If a stalking victim decides to move, he or she should be careful to monitor such sites and remove contact information from those sites. Safe Shepherd provides a service to do this, or it can be done for each site individually. Data Broker sites are a broader group, they include people search sites as well as companies that acquire information about individuals for marketing purposes (including addresses, age, salary information, places shopped and items purchased). All data brokers are in the business of providing information about people to others for a fee. As a result, any victim of stalking should be aware of them and should take steps to remove his or her information from such sites.

Inbound Call Blocker: Inbound Call Blocker allows only those callers who enter a special numeric code onto their touch tone phone pad to ring through to a person. This device is very effective in preventing unwanted calls. Stalking victims must be certain to give the code to everyone they want to talk to. This includes emergency services.

Intimate Partner Stalking: This is stalking that occurs between two intimate partners, or former partners. Intimate partner stalking includes a range of behaviors that utilize psychological threat, intimidation and physical victimization. The main motive of such a stalker is to create dependence, promote social isolation, and inhibit a victim’s reality testing. The pattern of control includes limiting the use of technologies and access to transportation, monitoring telephone calls and letters, and engaging in physical stalking to track the victim’s whereabouts.

Keystroke Loggers: A Keystroke Logger is a hardware device stalkers can use to track their victims. These devices plug into the keyboard and back of the computer, and are readily available for purchase. They record every key typed, including all passwords, PIN numbers, websites, and e-mail. The best prevention is for victims to use a safe computer at public places such as a library.

Per Call Blocking: An individual’s phone number is sent to the party he or she is calling unless *67 is entered before dialing the number. When the number is blocked by this method, the Caller ID subscriber sees the word “private” or “anonymous” on the Caller ID display device.

Per Line Blocking: An individual’s phone number will automatically be blocked for each he or she makes from that line.

Pressure Valve Strategy: The Pressure Valve Strategy involves a stalking victim getting a new phone number, keeping the number that is called by the stalker, and attaching a voice mail machine or message service to that line. The victim should turn the phone’s ringer off, and only use it to capture the calls from the harasser, who will continue to call the unused number thinking that he or she is getting through. Instead, the number is simply used to gather evidence. Victims will want to save tape recordings of the calls, get another phone number for their use, and be sure it’s unlisted and unpublished. They should only give the number to trusted friends and relatives. They should not give it to their bank, credit card company or credit bureau. Setup passwords on all of a victim’s phone accounts (local, long distance, and mobile). Tell the phone companies in writing that they must not disclose any account information to anyone but the victim, and only when the correct password is given.

Privacy Manager: A Privacy Manager is a phone service that works with Caller ID to identify incoming calls that have no telephone numbers. Calls that show as “anonymous,” unavailable,” out of area” or “private” must identify themselves in order to complete the call. Before a person’s phone rings, a recorded message instructs the caller to unblock the call, enter a code number, or record his or her name. Then the person receiving the call can choose to accept or reject the call, or send it to voicemail.

Spyware: Spyware is a computer monitoring software that stalkers can use to monitor their victims. Spyware can be installed physically by having access to the victim’s computer, or remotely by hiding the program as an e-mail attachment. There are many different types of spyware both available for purchase and freely accessible on the Internet. Most record all computer activities by taking a picture of the computer screen every few seconds, and thus, logging attempts to hide computer histories/e-mails.

Subpoena: A court order demanding the production of evidence. For stalking victims, a subpoena is crucial in order to get information on their stalkers. Make sure a victim files a police report about the stalker, as this will make obtaining a subpoena much easier later.