Cyberstalking: Warning Signs Your Child is Being Cyberstalked
Cyberstalking is sometimes misconstrued as a minor problem because the harassment does not occur face-to-face, but don’t be fooled by the disguise. Cyberstalking (harassment or unwanted communication via technology) can lead to in-person stalking, sexting, and 
cyberbullying, and should be taken very seriously. To stop cyberstalking, we must first understand the warning signs and recognize the behavior patterns that our children may exhibit if there is indeed a problem.
Your child may be cyberstalked if he/she:
1. Spends long periods of time on the computer, especially late at night.
2. Receives several unwanted emails (including spam) or text messages per day.
3. Makes calls to numbers that you do not recognize.
4. Has an email address or cell phone account that has been hacked.
5. Learns that friends or family have received emails from their address which they did not send themselves (a.k.a. email forgery).
6. Uses an email address that you do not recognize.
7. Receives electronic viruses.
8. Is cyberbullied in online chat rooms or forums.
9. Discovers their personal information posted online without their consent, or worse- has their identity stolen.
10. Closes windows or turns off the computer monitor when you or another parent is nearby.
11. Receives physical gifts, mail and packages from someone you do not know.
12. Becomes withdrawn from family, friends, school, and activities.
13. Exhibits feelings of anger, annoyance, anxiety, fear, helplessness, sickness, depression or suicidal thoughts.
14. Has difficulty sleeping and/or concentrating.
15. Experiences weight fluctuations (losing or gaining).
To prevent cyberstalking, consider using an Internet monitoring software (like SafetyWeb) to help protect your children and teens online. Safetyweb requires no download or installation, you can access it from anywhere via web, mail alerts or mobile phone. For more information about our subscription plan, click here.
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My son has had someone create a fake Facebook profile under his name and using a picture that was lifted off his real page.
They are putting slanderous things about him on the page and sending friend requests to all his friends. He has reported it to FB, I have reported it and several of our friends have also. The site remains up and is continuing to send him private messages.
What recourse or help do we have to find out who it is? The police and attorney that we have contacted act as though there is nothing they can do to help track the IP address. We live in Georgia and I am not sure if it has something to do with state laws against cyber bullying.
Any suggestions on what to do would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Recently attended the just ended FOSI annual 2010 conference in Washington D.C.Am very happy with Safety Web on tools/tips/resources provided for parents for Child online safety.