How To Protect Yourself From a Stalker

If the stalker is threatening to harm you or has tried to, weigh the pros and cons of getting an order of protection. Most stalkers violate them, but if they do, it will give police a reason to arrest them.

Ignore your stalker. If they call, hang up, or set the phone down and let them talk until they hang up. Do not answer their e-mails, texts, or letters. Do not try to reason with them. Assume that any attention you give them will encourage them, and the more you engage with a stalker, the more they’ll stalk you.

Get a post office box for your mail. If you move, don’t file a change of address with the post office; tell loved ones directly.

Put a fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting the fraud department of each of the three main credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This will help prevent your stalker from harassing you via identify theft because you’ll be asked to verify any attempt to take out credit in your name.

Tell everyone in your life – friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers – that you are being stalked so they are not tricked into divulging information about you.

For more information, contact the Stalking Resource Center at 1-800-FYI-CALL or check out their web site at ncvc.org/src.