I didn’t use VPN until a stalker found my home address! (Based on True Events)
By now all of us have heard that we have to be careful while browsing the internet. The private information we provide for social media sites and other platforms can be very useful for hackers and stalkers.
Stalking and harassment have always existed, but with the rise of the internet, it has become easier for those who engage in it to do so either as an extension of their current activities or solely online. This constant and unwanted contact from another person is highly unwelcome, and the result for both male and female victims is at best annoyance, and at worst severe distress and mental trauma.
To raise awareness, today we’re going to share a true horror story of a user that will stay anonymous.
It started off innocent…
Last December late one night out of boredom I decided to venture onto a site called Omegle. Normally whenever I went into chatrooms it was to troll people. But tonight I wanted to have conversations with people under the anime tag. Later I found someone – well call her Maya, who asked me what my favorite anime was. A conversation ensued about anime and she seemed like a genuinely interesting person.
She then asked me for my email. I gave her my spam email knowing that there’s no real harm in giving that out. She eventually asked to video chat, which I declined to tell her that I didn’t even video chat with people I knew. But she continued to persist. I started to suspect that she was maybe some kind of a deranged pedophile, and told her that I don’t feel comfortable revealing my face to anyone online.
I started to get a very bad feeling about it…
I had a bad gut feeling about the situation and decided to block her the next day. The following day when I turned on my computer, she messaged me immediately. I was instantly concerned by that, figuring that she was either deliberately stalking me, or had absolutely no life and was at her computer the whole day.
She apologized to me for being so pushy and explained to me that she didn’t have many friends and that she just wanted to get to know me. We continued to talk about anime and video games and it was a normal enough conversation for me. The next day we spoke again and she wanted to video chat. I relented a little bit and told her I would voice chat, which was more comfortable for me. When we started chatting she turned on her camera and kept pushing me to turn on my camera. reluctantly turned on my camera, after which her voice and demeanor completely changed.
Things were okay for a few weeks, until one day Maya and I were in a group chat with some of my other friends, but after I left my friend Eric told me that Maya started asking very personal questions about me and that she somehow knew my home address and my full name. I found it strange that she said these things to my friends, knowing that I would hear about them eventually.
Not long after she started stalking my family members…
Finally, she goes on Facebook and finds my page to send me a friend request. I declined the request and she starts messaging me on Google, asking about my friends and family members. She wrote down a list of them all asking how they were related to me.
This is when I realized that I have a serious stalker and blocked her on every platform I could. After about a month, I went into my email and found hundreds of emails from her. In one of them, she said that there is something wrong with her and that she enjoys stalking people online.
She reminded me that she knew where I lived and was going to eventually book a flight and come live with me. I was worried that she was intending to kill me.
How did she find my personal information?
I deleted that email account and have been off the grid ever since. My friends and I concluded that she found my personal information by tracking my IP address. I’m still worried to this day that this situation isn’t over yet. If I were any smarter, I would of used a good VPN to cover my real IP address – think about this the next time you browse.
I tried Nord VPN and so should you!
Looking for your perfect VPN? Learn more here and pick the best. If you just want to get started with online privacy security right now, here’s our top pick – Nord VPN. It has some of the fastest server connections, great security, and is very easy to use.
Our Editors Recommendation – Nord VPN:
- Dedicated torrenting profile: Yes, P2P specialty servers available
- Works with: Netflix (multiple libraries), Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, SkyTV, Disney+, and many others
- Available on: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and routers
- Data logging: Strict no-logs policy
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
This VPN service provides you with a free, encrypted tunnel through which you can send and receive online traffic. Nobody can see through the tunnel and access your internet information. If you want to feel safe when using public Wi-Fi, NordVPN is the best VPN to use. Encrypt your internet connection) for online privacy and protection.
