Facebook stalker or real life Jack the Ripper – both can be just as scary.
It can be flattering, there is no doubt, when you discover that someone is watching you. Or more accurately, stalking you. A little part of us does feel a bit weirded out, but another part is quite chuffed.
Having said that, when that chuffed feeling turns to uncomfortable, then you know that the stalking is not what you want. It makes you look over your shoulder every few minutes. It makes you avoid dark corners, and possibly makes you become a bit paranoid.
Having a facebook stalker works a trifle bit differently to that physical stalking. Definitely not as scary, but can be just as creepy.
What does it mean to have a Facebook stalker?
First, the Facebook stalker will need to find you, and they do this in numerous ways. Searching your name is the obvious one. But, if they don’t know your name, here is how they can find you.
- Schools and Colleges – just by searching through school groups, possible linked friends from colleges, or any affiliations linked to either, a stalker can find you
- All and any images you have liked, shared, commented on, or been tagged in – because Facebook records everything
- Places you’ve been – yip, they can search a place they may have seen you at, and if you’ve checked in there, they just may find you that way too
The way in which your Facebook stalker engages with you, can be quite unnerving.
- Communicating with you in either inappropriate ways or ways that are unsettling. Some examples could be, where the person messages you to tell you that they are watching you. Less obvious would be to keep saying hi, and how are you. Or, super scary, they butt in or comment on post convos. And, just won’t stop
- Liking, sharing, commenting, and emoji’ing every post you publish
- Friending your friends, like all of them. Even if he/she doesn’t know them. And, of course then messaging your friends too
How can you stop your Facebook stalker in his/her tracks?
Prevention is always better than cure, so make sure your Facebook privacy settings are super private. Stop them before they can start!
If you haven’t done this from the beginning, and you discover an unwanted friend, you can tackle it a few ways:
- Tweak up those Privacy Settings
Set your privacy settings up so that only friends can see your posts, and only friends can tag you in. In addition, you can set who gets to see what here to.
- Block the Friend
While privacy settings are great, if the Facebook stalker is already a friend, how will you stop them? Facebook allows you to firstly “unfriend” them and then block them. Therefore they cannot see your profile, posts, shares, likes, comments, and most definitely cannot message you.
- Delete your Basic Directory information
What this means is, that smart Mr. Stalker could just go create a new profile for him/herself. Then, they start stalking you all over again. So, through your Basic Directory, you get the control back. This falls in line with tweaking your privacy settings, but often is overlooked. Only your friends can then see all your info, posts, etc. You would have to accept them as a friend again in order to allow them access.
- Block them via their messages & profile
Sometimes, a message can still slip through, so ensure you block them via messages. Simply, click Report Link next to their name. To block them via their own profile, you go to their profile, click on Report/Block this person, which is at the bottom left area.
- Be Cautious
We are all social beings, and receiving a friend request, from anyone, can be tempting to accept. Best modus operandi here is to see how many mutual friends you have in common with them. Even ask a few of those friends whether that person is genuine, before you accept them.
For more info on protecting yourself in the cyber world, check out out other blogs.
