Stalking

Stalking is unwanted and repeated direct or indirect contact by an individual toward another person that is upsetting, threatening, intimidating, or would otherwise cause a reasonable person to be afraid.

Signs of Stalking

  • Repeatedly following or waiting at the victim’s location without cause

  • Unwanted calls, texts, emails, or images sent to home or work place

  • Repeated letters or “gifts” given directly to the victim, or left in a location for them to find, continuing even after requests to stop

  • Obtaining information about the victim through third parties (friends, family, coworkers, etc.)

  • Excessive, unwanted interaction on the victim’s social media accounts

  • Seeking or demonstrating access to personal information about the victim which they did not directly disclose

  • Personal property is damaged or missing, especially intimate or highly secured items

  • Changes to the victim’s home, space (online accounts) or personal property (car) that indicate someone has entered or accessed it without permission

Cyber Stalking

Stalking behavior is not limited to in-person behavior; it frequently includes technology-based abuse or “cyber stalking”:

  • Posting threatening or personal information on the Internet (known as doxing/nonconsensual image sharing)

  • Harassment or threats via the Internet (Zoom chat, social media, email)

  • Tracking/monitoring through use of GPS or software (via apps, car, cell phone, cameras, malicious computer SpyWare and/or online databases)

  • Hacking email or other online accounts to pose as you or demonstrate control

Often, survivors know the person stalking them (an ex-partner, co-worker, or someone they may have briefly come in contact with.) Similar to intimate partner violence, stalking is a way for individuals to assert power and control over others. The repeated stress, worry, and fear that stalking evokes can negatively impact someone’s health.

More information about stalking can be found at the Stalking Resource Center website.

Please visit the UC Davis Sexual Violence Website to learn more about the UCD policy on stalking