Use Of Technology To Stalk

The Use of Technology to
Stalk
Presented by: Michelle M. Garcia
mgarcia@ncvc.org
Technology is great!
Can you imagine life today without these things?
• Phones
• Faxes
• Computers
• Internet
• Video Relay Devices
• GPS (OnStar)
• Cameras
• Email / IM
Phone Technologies
• Cordless Phones
• Cell Phones
• Scanners
• Spy Phones
• GPS-equipped cell phones
Stalking
A pattern of behavior directed at a
specific person that would cause a
reasonable person to feel fear.
Technology is not the enemy!
• Criminals exploit situations to create an
advantage for themselves
• We need to keep up with the criminals
Cordless Phones
• Can be intercepted
• Analog vs. digital phones
Safety
Tip
May not be safe for victims or those working
with victims
1

Cell & Mobile Phones
• Analog v. Digital
• Understand features of your phone –
auto answer
Scanners
Scanners
Spy Phones
2

Tracking via cell phones
With
People
Finder
3

SIM Recovery
• Subscriber Identity Module
• Portable memory chip used by cell carriers
operating on the Global System for Mobile
Communication (GSM) network: AT&T/Cingular, T-
Mobile, and others
Texting
4

Answering Machines &
Voice Mail
• Stalker accesses victim’s voice mail or
answering machine to gather information
• Stalker leaves messages
– If stalker leaves a message, permission to be
taped is usually assumed
Caller ID
• Good for avoiding calls
• Blocking your number: *67 + number
• 800# exception
Answering Machines &
Voice Mail
• Talk to local prosecutors/law
enforcement about their preferred
method of evidence collection
• Get answering machines donated
& train on use (to screen calls &
document harassing messages)
• Spoof cards
Anonymizers
• Assistive technologies
Spoof Card
Safety
Tip
No computer needed! Simply dial the toll free number
from the calling card you purchase.
1. Enter your pin number.
2. Enter Destination number.
3. Enter Any Caller ID Number you wish to display.
4. Choose the voice you would like to use.
5. Your call is connected using the specified Caller ID Number.
As an added bonus, we offer you the option to record your
conversation for FREE which you can later retrieve by logging-in to
your control panel or calling our 800 number from anywhere.
In addition, we also offer the ability to change your voice
to sound like a man, a women or yourself for FREE.
5

IP Relay www.ip-relay.com
Assistive Technology
Devices
• Learn available TTY, relay, & interpreter
resources
• Talk to victim about potential
impersonation & develop a system for
identifying caller (code word)
• Safety plan around TTY devices &
clearing the history
Safety
Tip
Assistive Technology Devices
• Provide a valuable resource for deaf and
hard of hearing persons
• Safety plan around TTY devices & clearing
the history
• Talk to victim about potential
impersonation & develop a system for
identifying caller (code word or phrase)
IP Relay Case
• This is Zack your relay operator 5243 we
have a message. You’re a heartless,
sick, nerdy b@$#%. Die and go to hell.
End of message. Thank you IP relay…
• This is Ashley relay operator 7041 with a
message. Go suck some person…yes,
hope you get AIDS. End of message.
Thank you IP relay 7041 Goodbye. End
of message. To delete this….
Global Positioning Systems
(GPS) & Locating Devices
6

$250
7

Vehicle Tracking Menu Cameras
Spy Cams
How can they be disguised?
Eyeball cam
8

Why would stalkers use them?
• Keep track of victims—learn routine, etc.
• Keep track of victim without being seen
• Find new victims—boyfriends, etc.
• Scare and harass— “I’m watching and
know what you are doing”
Camera Detection
• If remote transmit, there will be a signal.
– Can buy a device that will tell you if such
signals are being transmitted.
• If it is wired instead of wireless… no way
to detect except by finding it with your
own eyes.
What to know
• Purchasing surveillance equipment is
getting cheaper -- kits start under $100
• Cameras can be hidden in just about
anything
• Remote as well as hardwired cameras
• Plenty of information available on how to
operate systems
Cameras for Safety
• Personal security– can put cameras up
around the home
• Can be used to document stalking or
capture evidence
COMPUTERS Computers
Safety
Tip
• Information gained by subterfuge and
illegal activity
• Information about ourselves we put out
there
9

Spyware & Computer Monitoring
• Software program or hardware component that
helps an an unauthorized third party gather
information about the user’s computer use without
user’s knowledge or consent.
• Can be encoded in an email message, game, or
Web site
• Very hard to detect!
• Symptoms: often none, they typically run in stealth
mode so user never knows it’s installed.
• Some are legitimate: parental controls, employee
monitoring
“Make the Remote Computer Talk”
ComputerGOD 1.00
ComputerGOD silently records all keystrokes, websites visited,
email received, passwords, instant messages, details of
applications and windows opened, and snapshots of the screen
taken periodically. In addition, this application can control most
functions of a remote computer. It can restart, shutdown, and
logoff a computer, send chat messages, control the remote
computer’s desktop and mouse, transfer files, and make the
remote computer talk any words. ComputerGOD is also remote
installation capable and is designed to allow a user to monitor
and control multiple computers.
These powerful features make ComputerGOD the most powerful remote surveillance and control program on the market.
10

Limited Prevention/
Identification
Safety
Tip
Safety Tips for Advocates
• Regularly ask:
– “Do you use a computer?” and
Safety
Tips
– “Does the offender have onsite or remote
access to it?”
• Encourage using a “safer” computer at
the library or elsewhere
• Discuss risk from tech savvy stalkers
Keystroke Logging Hardware
Keystroke logging keyboard
Information We Put
Out There
11

Email
How do stalkers use email?
• Send email to victim
• Intercept and monitor email
• Impersonate victim and send offensive
messages to others
What can Victims do?
� Passwords: Use variations of numbers
and letters
� Save all harassing or suspicious emails
� Never open suspicious emails or
attachments
Instant Messaging Social Networking Sites
Where am I?
At Library – 3rd Floor Stacks
Safety
Tip
• Creating an online community for friends &
family members or meeting new friends
(examples: My Space, Facebook, LinkedIn)
• Computers can bring people together in
various ways
– Message boards/pursuits of specific interests
– Online trading and commerce
– Community activism
12

What Other
Information is Out
There?
Directories & Search Engines
• Photos
Think Before You Post
• School information
• Work information
• Favorite hangouts
Safety
Tip
• What is on your friends’ pages about
you?
Stalkers & The Web
• Using Web sites
– Pages that assist stalkers
• Creating Web sites
– Pages created to:
• Harass
• Record or document behaviors
• Slander or defame
• Solicit others
• What’s out there about you?
• How about the survivor, witnesses or
suspects?
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ZabaSearch ~ Free Databases
Births
Adoptions
Courts
Marriages
Sex offenders
Military
Schools
Property
Vehicles
Licenses
Campaign $
Veromi
Court & Government Sites Individual & Organization Sites
Information Brokers
PTA
Other Databases
• Chain store discount cards
• Lotteries
• National associations & organizations
Protect your information
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Privacy & Safety Tips
Safety
Tip
• Talk to schools about records
• Protect your home address and phone
number
• Protect your email address and Web
postings
• Search for yourself – often – using
directories and information brokers
"It's actually obscene what you can find
out about people on the Internet.“
-Liam Youens
Stalkers & The Web
• Using Web sites
– Pages that assist stalkers
• Creating Web sites
– Pages created to:
• Harass
• Record or document behaviors
• Slander or defame
• Solicit others
15

Practitioners: 202-467-8700
Victims: 1-800-FYI-CALL
gethelp@ncvc.org
www.ncvc.org/src
Privacy & Safety Tips
• P.O. Boxes or Parcel Plus, UPS Store
(DMV may print P.O. Box on drivers license)
• Virtual Voice Mail phone number
• Utilities
− consider an apartment with them included
− small apartment complex vs. national chain
• Consider 2 legal residences
• Research address confidentiality programs
• Check voter registration policies
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