Anyone here ever lived through a stalking situation?

1) change as many of your phones apps location sharing settings from “precise location” to no location sharing or other(not precise).

2) Make misleading check-ins at other hospitals in other states/cities in social media

3) use a password manager and replace easy to guess passwords with the managers suggestions

4) use the AirTag, checks in IPhone/Android to check for tracking tags

5) tell your doctor / report incidents to the health care institutions IT security team

6) ask the police to check your vehicle for trackers

What To Do If You Are Being Stalked:

(from CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-to-do-if-youre-being-stalked-advice-from-an-expert/
Links in article:

Stalking Resource Center from the National Center for the Victims of Crime
Victim Connect Resource Center: 1-855-484-2846
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
The National Sexual Assault Hotline:1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

IGNORING A STALKER CAN BE DANGEROUS
While Mohandie cautions that you should NOT engage with your stalker directly, he recommends the following:

be alert and proactive to protect yourself from the possible threat.
avoid all contact
enhance security measures in their lives, such as locks, alarms and security cameras, and says victims should
inform key people in their life of the potential threat.
save and document all messages, voicemails, letters, and cards.
photograph and document things that are damaged and quickly get that information to law enforcement so that police can begin to intervene in the process.
THE FOUR KINDS OF STALKERS
Mohandie has been consulting on stalking and threat cases for over 25 years. He says he defines a stalker as someone who is obsessed with the victim and involved in an unwanted pursuit.

Mohandie says there are basically four kinds of stalkers:

There's the public figure stalker, who has not had any prior relationship with their victim.
There's the private stranger stalker who crosses paths with a victim in some way and then that person becomes a target.
There's the acquaintance stalker, who pursues maybe a co-worker or classmate or someone else in their life—that group of stalkers, the acquaintance group—has about a 50 percent risk of violence. Even for stalkers who are in the groups with a lower risk of violence, Mohandie says you have to understand the risks.

"Now, don't let that deceive you, because you don't know which per cent, you know, you're gonna be dealing with in a particular case," he told "48 Hours." "You still have to look at the particulars of a case to determine if it's gonna be a dangerous stalker or not."

The most common type of stalker is also the most dangerous:

The fourth category of stalker Mohandie describes as intimate stalkers, and he says these are the most common and the most dangerous. He says the risk of violence from an intimate stalker is about 74 percent. Violence could be anything from pushing and shoving to a more violent assault. He notes that many domestic violence homicides have a stalking component.
RESOURCES
Early intervention is key, he says. Mohandie says that stalking is a crime and should be treated that way. As always, if you require emergency assistance, call 911 immediately.

Stalking Resource Center from the National Center for the Victims of Crime
Victim Connect Resource Center: 1-855-484-2846
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
The National Sexual Assault Hotline:1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Are you being stalked?

The general advice, re danger...is to first remove yourself from the danger.

So, with real world stalkers sometimes the very best idea is to move. And move far away. Another state if you can. Clear across the country if you can.

And always call the police.

As far as the stress caused by the stalking, you can address that after you get to physical safety.

my own background? Former violent crime victim. Kidnapped and held for a time in 1982.

oh, and the folks who did that, were stalking me for some time prior.

again, first get out of danger.

You can try to better secure your home, but nothing is as secure as just moving far, far, far away...another state and better yet, clear across the country.

Then, once you are out of danger? I definitely recommend therapy. And if the stalking has been going on for some time, best to get assessed to see if you have PTSD. If you have PTSD, in addition to general counseling, you should get some specific PTSD counseling.

Yes. DV and Stalking Survival by ex-husband and then ten years later was assaulted after an accident (assault was from the at-fault driver, who was later found to have drugs in his system). It wasn't easy to leave the marriage nor stay out of his direct line of contact - even with his (ex) being incarcerated. Once he was out, he made more threats, thankfully he had no idea where we were (I had changed my last name). He ended up having an accident at work and passed away shortly after. Then, in 2023, my then BF and I were in an auto accident that resulted in the at-fault driver assaulting both myself and my then BF. I had managed to live a somewhat everyday life again until the accident and assault. Since then, I have been back to being hyper-viligent and nervous around strange men. I also have other illnesses that I am dealing with, so I have a lot on my plate. Being with people who understand my situation and my limitations in crowds and around what I term too much noise helps me. And sometimes, I just stay in and do my own thing. I have a service dog and two ESA cats that help me independently.

@spool007
Welcome to Mayo Connect and thank you for sharing your story. You gave some excellent suggestions about being around people who understand and avoiding situations that may trigger anxiety. I have always found comfort in pets when under stress. Though my dog is not an official emotional support pet, I consider her my emotional support.

Please continue to offer advice on how to handle / avoid stalkers.

Dear @violasummertime

xxx POSSIBILITIES? xxx
According to everyone that has written of “stalking situation”. Is there another way of “stalking situation” that might be, a little, different than beating, murder, stealing, hitting, a bad accident of families for all of this?

xxx CRIMINAL USES? xxx
You have problems of your health. Is your “health” is physically or mental type? PHYSICAL problems like going to stores, medical places like doctors? Is that someone else is “stalking” to you… store workers, families, friends, neighbors or you have no idea of who is? Is it fearing, scarring, looking, hearing, knowing - is that you?

Call 911 to start this and then you will get somehow to that local government.

xxx HOW ABOUT MENTAL-TYPE INSTEAD? xxx
It could be things like this:
1. Get upset of talking or yelling or needing?
2. Mad that could add like #1?
3. Angry at yourself that you can’t do of what you need or want?

Is that you or someone in your family?

For me, certain things I can’t do. I had, 12 yers ago, I had/has an accident, one block from my house. Now, I’m a TBI member from my brain-injury. Now & then, I end up numbers 1, 2, 3. For my family is NOT having a “stalking”, thankfully - at least my future, I hope.

Thx,
Greg D. @greg1956