Stalking Tatics + What Is Stalking

Let's take a closer look at stalking and become aware of the statistics

STALKING IS REAL & YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

The statistics below come from reported cases, but stalking is an under-reported crime so the true data exceeds the statistics

• An estimated 13.5 million people are stalked in a one-year period in the US and Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have experienced stalking victimization at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)

• 11% of stalkers have been stalked for 5 years or more, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Stalking is typically associated with someone you know or intimate partners, but stranger stalking and gang stalking (stalking by proxy) are very common but less reported because it’s more hidden and least suspected.  For more details on gang stalking, see the types of stalkers section. 
  

WHAT IS STALKING

Stalking is a crime strategically and systematically designed to create situations and circumstances to harass you, ruin your reputation/credibility, intimidate, and scare you. The goal of stalking is to control you with fear by infiltrating every aspect of your life with repeated psychological and emotional forms of harassment.  Consequently, the fear (over time) will control everything you do, everywhere you go, and every decision you make. The stalker wants the fear to paralyze you into isolation, financial ruin, extreme paranoia, a psychotic breakdown, or even suicide.  Ultimately, they want to stop you from living a purpose-filled life.  Now that you know their goal, you can be empowered to counter it and become a Victorious Survivor (not a victim)! 

Stalking covers a broad range of behaviors and can vary based on the type of stalking, but the behaviors are crimes--See crimes section. Typically, the tactics are subtle/covert, which is very intentional because they thrive in ambiguity and anonymity. This is how they remain hidden and keep you second-guessing yourself, which prevents people from involving law enforcement because there's no tangible proof.  For this reason, people choose not to report it or discuss it with family/friends, which fosters the isolation the stalker wants to achieve.  (Note: As the stalking escalates, the subtle/covert tactics may become more overt if the stalker wants to intensify the fear tactics).

***If you feel your life is in danger, contact law enforcement even if you have no tangible proof because you want a record/tracking of your attempt to seek help.  If law enforcement tells you there’s nothing they can do, MAKE SURE TO file an incident report, get the report #, get a copy to ensure accuracy and share it with someone you trust. If you don't feel safe contacting your local law enforcement because you suspect they may be involved, contact another jurisdiction and/or submit an FBI reporting form for crimes that occur using the internet (see resource section)***