Forum Moderators: phranque
I can't ban him because his IP Address is dynamic. I can ban his e-mail but he keeps coming up with new e-mail addresses.
Even though I've been level-headed in all my replies to him the situation has now escalated to where he's made death threats against myself and several members of my website.
He admits to stealing all our content and plans to use it to form his own website.
He's even filed a complaint with the IFCC.
I get no response from the abuse department at his ISP.
I called his local police department about the death threats and was told there's nothing they can do and that I have to take it up with my local police department.
The problem is I don't know who this person really is so my local police department said there's nothing they can do about it.
Any advice on how to handle this situation based on your own experiences would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Local poice departments are not set up to deal with this kind of thing.
They may not be set up to deal with it but it does not give them the right not to deal with it. Most police depts aren't set up to deal with full blown terrorist attacks but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't at least take note if someone reports that one might happen in the area.
I have found that many enforcement agencies when faced with internet related crimes find it easier to say they can do nothing, hope you go away and then they don't have to deal with it. That doesn't mean that legally, they really can't do anything.
I spoke with my father (the retired lawyer) on the phone and this situation is now serious enough that I'm going to have to contact my lawyer who specializes in Internet law. He's terribly expensive though which is why I like to make him my source of last resort.
Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions. I'm now going to let my attorney speak on my behalf in this matter.
Good luck. He certainly is not going away. Talking to the lawyer is a good idea.
I hope the police at this point would get involved.
..... Shane
I do not think in putting forward this idea that you should delay speaking with your lawyer. Just the opposite, call the lawyer now.
Good luck,
Shane
In fact I just got off the phone with my attorney who recommended we hire a private investigator in the Lansing area to find out as much as we can about this person before making any decisions about how to proceed. I authorized her to hire the investigator. This is going to cost a fortune but to protect our reputation it is necessary.
Your idea about contacting webmasters is a good one. I don't know any of them personally but my Senior Moderator and my Forums Admin do so I'll ask them to make some queries.
Thanks.
I sympathize with your situation. I ran into something similar a while back.
I wouldnt bounce his emails. Let him think you are just ignoring him. As hard as it is, dont let him see you react. You are most likely just enraging him further. Keep a record of everything, inform the other forum admins, cc your attorney, etc.
Your best resolution though is for this guy to just get bored and go away. If he walks away, then its over because he deemed it to be over. But if he thinks you can actually hurt him in someway or he loses a battle (such as getting him banned from an ISP), then he becomes a real danger if he isnt one yet.
After being ignored for awhile, one of two things is likely to happen:
1. He quits
2. He continues and the threats grow worse and they increase in frequency.
If he doesnt stop, keep on the FBI and local police. This is important if something happens where it is apparent that he is physically near you and no longer just a loser harrassing you via email.
Best regards for you and yours,
Kirby
I don't think he's going to go away. That's just my gut feeling.
If the investigator finds this guy is some worthless bum then we're not going to pursue the matter further. But if has any net worth, or follows through on his promise to spread the word about the pedophilia issue then we have a pretty good civil and/or criminal case.
But the first step is to not do anything further until the PI has finished the investigation.
Thanks again everyone. It's been a very stressful day and I just realized I haven't eaten anything today.
I did a site for a famous actor who at the time had a third party service handling all his fan mail. They would profile the letters for any indications that a person could be dangerous, and reply to everyone with a very deliberately written, canned, polite response. Sounded very scientific - they knew exactly what kind of signs to look for, and as well as how to mitigate potential threats. Apparently people can get very irrate if they don't like the type of response they get from their idol, believe it or not, and it's best to be handled delicately - especially if someone fits the profile of a stalker, or whatever. I'll see if I can find out more, but in the meantime that should give you another direction to look in. Apparantly this is not an uncommon thing for famous people to do.
Actually, a couple of members here suggested the same thing - I guess advice is always more valuable when you pay for it ;)
Good luck.
BTW, I got a call from the FBI this morning. They took a statement from me over the phone and asked that I deliver all my documentation to them. They want me to wait until the PI has finished the investigation. I'm a little miffed at that because I think the FBI could find this person easier, faster and cheaper than me having to pay a PI big bucks to do the same thing. But at this point I don't want to make any waves and will do whatever they ask of me so long as my lawyer agrees.
As it should :)
Again, good luck. Fill us in when you have more news.
Don
