Let me tell you, more and more victims of cyberstalking are reaching out to me for advice using my Ask Kim page. Here’s one note I received recently from P.W. in Oklahoma:
“I’ve been cyberstalked for three years. I recently discovered it was my roommate. I moved out and he launched another attack. He’s on my and my fiance’s phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth — everything. He has stolen financial data, pictures, erased accounts, taken over emails and harassed me through VOIP. … He admitted to sitting outside our house all night. I thought he was spying on me. Now I know he was also gaining access to my Wi-Fi. I can’t do this anymore and need expert advice/help terribly.”
This is truly awful. First, it’s always a good idea to file a police report. This way, you have things on record. Unfortunately, the police won’t come into your home and lock down your digital life — but you have me.
The good news: There’s a lot you can do right now to lock out a jerk. The bad news: It’s a lot of work, but I promise you it’s worth it — and it’s so much better than sitting around wondering what your stalker will do next.
What accounts, passwords and devices do you believe he has access to? Sit down and make a list of all you can think of. Check your browser’s saved passwords for inspiration.
One by one, sign out of each account on every device, then change every single password. A password manager will help you generate new, strong passwords no one can guess.
Just to get you thinking, here are some other sites and platforms you should check and update your passwords for:
I have steps here to change your password for several major sites, including Amazon, Netflix, Facebook and Spotify.
So many people forget just how much info someone can access if they know the login info for your router. Theoretically, they can see what you do online and what devices are connected.
I got a call from Jim in Sacramento about a new friend he met on Facebook. She messaged him out of the blue and they hit it off (just friends, he’s married). Now, she’s introduced him to her aunt, who happens to be great with crypto.
Protect yourself: Medical identity theft victims often don’t realize something is wrong until it’s too late. I recommend you store hard copies of medical records and documents with personal identification information in a safe or lockbox.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Why are people willingly sending money to scammers they’ve never met? There’s shocking new trend where social media traps victims into losing big bucks.
⚠️ Scammers can be victims, too: A woman calling herself “Sara” told ABC News her heartbreaking story. She was living in South Africa and applied for a customer service job in Bangkok. Before she knew it, she was taken to a compound in Myanmar, where her passport was taken and her cellphone’s SIM card was destroyed. She was held prisoner, told to play the part of an Asian woman and forced to scam others online. She escaped but not everyone does.
Fine for fake plastic surgery reviews. Seattle-based Dr. Javad Sajan will pay restitution to 21,000 victims after he forced them to sign nondisclosure agreements and threatened them when they left bad reviews. If you’re getting a life-changing procedure, do your research — and not just on the doc’s website.
In Zelle hell: One tech pro lost $1,600 using Zelle. Eventually, Wells Fargo credited him for the fishy charge. He agrees with lawmakers who say Zelle and banks are quick to blame victims for using it “wrong.”
Get rich quick … never: The FTC is handing out $12 million in refunds to over 25,000 people who fell for a house-flipping scheme. The Zurixx scam lured victims with promises of quick cash and endorsements from HGTV stars like Tarek El Moussa, Hilary Farr and Christina Hall. Basic three-day training courses started at $1,997 and ranged all the way up to $41,297. Oof.
When you think of identity theft victims, you might picture someone older. But the reality is, the targets are getting younger.
🛡️ A win against deepfakes: The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the first bill to crack down on AI porn. The bill will let victims sue anyone who creates or distributes explicit content depicting the victims without their consent, with a 10-year statute of limitations. You know more regulations are coming.
Stay far, far away: Scammers use crypto ATMs to defraud U.S. victims out of millions every year. They’re less regulated and let you send money overseas instantaneously. A 77-year-old woman just got scammed out of $9,000. Once her money left the country, she was SOL. Listen up: No legitimate entity will ever ask you to send money in crypto or from an ATM.
Prudential Financial just dropped a doozy: The data breach they reported in March is way worse than initial estimates. They originally notified around 36,000 victims about stolen info, like names and driver’s license numbers. Now, they’re saying over 2.5 million folks were hit. Someone needs to be held accountable.
⚠️ It can happen anywhere: An Australian IT pro was caught running “evil twin” Wi-Fi attacks on flights and airports. He set up phony Wi-Fi networks to trick victims into logging in, and then he snagged their usernames and passwords for whatever they did. Pro tip: Always ask the flight staff for the real Wi-Fi network name.
Web safety alert: Over 100,000 websites, including Hulu, are victims of a security breach. They all use a compromised JavaScript library that could redirect users to scam sites, install malware, and even swipe usernames, passwords and credit card info. Watch out for rogue pop‑ups.
Like the plot for 1990’s Schwarzenegger’s flick, “Total Recall”: A scientist wants to implant prisoners with memories of their crimes from the victims’ perspectives. The Cognify system uses a brain implant and VR-like device to induce emotional trauma and physical pain. Ahem, what if the prisoner is a psycho and would enjoy those memories?
Criminals using Wi-Fi jammers: Police caught an international crime ring staking out marks’ homes. Once the victims left, they used Wi-Fi jammers to disable the house’s Wi-Fi and security systems to rob them. A Chilean gang tried to do the same thing to me, and the Phoenix SWAT team even stormed my house! Worth the watch, promise.
🛠️ This is not a drill: After thieves stole his construction tools, a Virginia man turned the tables, installing a GPS system on his stuff. The next time crooks struck, they led him right to a storage unit. The police found over 15,000 stolen items in the unit, totaling over $3 million — and from other victims, too! What a hero.
In Telfair County, Georgia, a fisherman stumbled upon critical evidence from the 2015 Craigslist murder of an elderly couple. He first pulled up a .22-caliber rifle, then discovered driver’s licenses and credit cards belonging to the victims. This find has revitalized the investigation, with more clues headed to the crime lab.
Protect your docs: Medical identity theft is scary, and victims often don’t realize something is wrong until it’s too late. Store hard copies of medical records and documents with personal identification information in a safe or lockbox.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
😤 Dangerous oversight: A heartbreaking 15 folks have died after ingesting sodium nitrate, listed on Amazon as a food preservative. It’s safe at low concentrations, but it was sold at 99% purity. Now, the victims’ families are suing, saying Amazon ignored warnings, deleted bad reviews and nudged customers to buy. Amazon’s defense? It says it’s not liable for how customers use its products.
