One of the girls I work with has been talking to a guy online through AIM.
Flirting, talking, joking. The normal kind of stuff.
She knows better than to give out personal information.
Somehow this guy has tracked down every screen name change she has made even with new e-mail addresses, and he has gotten around being blocked off her lists.
He says he has been on her hard drive and into her e-mail, and has everyone on her lists. Which includes me!
Now he says he knows where she lives, and described the house, and that he is going to call her house and talk to her family.
Last night he asked her if her kids were ready to plan a funneral!
How in the hell is he doing this, or is he just full of it and trying to really scare the crap out of her?
I don’t know how the waring thing works, but if you warn someone so many times don’t they get booted from using AIM?
I know that I have told you guys many times that I am computer illiterate, but she knows less about the technical stuff than I do and so when I rattle on about ISPs, and firewalls she doesn’t know what I am talking about.
If she hasn’t done it yet, your friend should change all her passwords to something not easily guessed. She should also go into her AIM options (Privacy) and set it so that only people on her Buddy List can contact her and so that no one can get information on her if they know her email address. Warning people on AIM doesn’t do a whole lot, really. Cutting off all contact is a better way to go.
I don’t know how much good it will do, but your friend should contact AOL and report this user. If he’s sending her actual threatening messages and she thinks he knows where she lives, she might also contact the police and ask for help from them. He may or may not be full of it, but if he’s scaring her, she should proceed as if it’s serious.
The cat is out of the bag on this one already. Report it to the police, and ask them to sting this person. They can monitor his activity, and nail him for the crime.
For this person (and anyone else that may need this):
Buy the latest antivirus software, and keep it updated weekly. This will catch the trojan programs that would give him total remote control of the machine.
Unless absolutely necessary, remove file and printer sharing from the machine in question. Microsoft networking is notoriously weak in the security area, and I have found that 10-20% of those on the net with file and printer sharing activated have shared out the root “C:” with no user name or password needed. If you need this installed for some reason, put a hard damned password on the share. Nothing that can be found in Webster’s Collegiate.
(Sorry Opal!) Keep the OS updated. Microsoft (any OS, but MS is the worst) is constantly putting out patches to plug up security holes, and remove bugs. As the weaknesses are found, they put out a new patch.
Wipe the machine, and start fresh with a more secure operating system.
Tell your friend to contact CyberAngels NOW. They have a webpage, not sure what it is but a search should bring it up. They will help her, and teach her how to backtrack this rectum and stop him from getting to her. Good luck in nailing the creep.
Arange a meeting and then find someone who will hurt the guy. Serious physical violence tends to cool ardor. Be sure to get the guy’s ID while the violence is ocurring and weekly have him hurt for about three weeks.
Then do it one more time about a month or so later.
Thanks guys!
She should be online in a while and I will link her to the page since she is not a memeber.
It isn’t someone she knows, but someone who lives only a few hours away.
I have his screen name.
I just don’t understand how he keeps finding her.
He has also told her that he got into her hard drive and took off some pictures and is going to make a web site.
I will be on again in a few hours if anybody wants to message me.
This is really good advice. My brother was receiving threatening emails from his ex and her new bf…he saved them and used then to have a peace bond issed.
I think a call to the police is definately a must. Get your complaint on file…just in case he’s not just messy around.
A friend of moine received some racist threats from a scum bag poster at the DC Comics message board ( a hotbed of trolling!). She told the cops, and apparently because the threats were made over the internet, its a federal offence. The guy thought he was safe because he was in another state. He ended up apologising to her, and she is wondering whether to go ahead with the complaint or not.
AOL can trace him right back to his home through his account information and AOL keeps a 6 month record of every screen name you use. Your CACHE on aol does also. If he is on AOL, report him. They take threats very seriously and no matter what screen name he uses, nor how many he has, they will trace him home. AOL can close his account for making threats and you can copy and print all instant messages he sends. Then, get AOL to give you his adress and file harassment charges against him. Obviously, he is local if he knows where you live and he’s using a hacking program to get into your AOL registration records. They’ll probably file charges against him also.
Contact AOL! Do it by phone if you wish. They give you an 800 number.
This is true of AOL accounts, but if the guy is using AIM, I believe AOL’s ability doesn’t go much beyond tracing his last sign-on IP address.
AOL will, under no circumstances, give you his address or any personal information. AOL will only deliver this information directly to law enforcement officials under a subpoena.
Erm… not likely at all, as far as finding registration information.
Nothing yet. She reset alot of her security and added alot that she didn’t have.
He e-mailed her again telling her that she better not tell anyone his screen name, or pictures would be sent, the he is a photographer and she wouldn’t believe where she put her mouth.
I told her that now was the time for her to tell him that she is really a man and see what he has to say about that.
I haven’t talked to her this week, but I work with her on weekends, so I should know more by then.
She called Gateway which is where she is renting the computer and they also give her service through AOL, and was told that there is no way he could be tracing her through an ISP since it dials a different number every time?
That didn’t sound right to me, but I don’t know anything about how AOL works.
