Cyberstalking
Before you read on
If you're in danger right now, call 999. If you can't speak, listen and press 55 on a mobile when prompted. If someone may be able to see your phone, computer or accounts, think about reading this on a device they have never had access to.
Being watched, contacted or exposed online can feel as if there's nowhere to get away. It is real, it is not your fault, and you don't have to be good with technology to get help. Open any section, in any order.
The short version
- Cyberstalking is stalking that happens through phones, apps, accounts or devices. It is often mixed with stalking in person.
- The pattern matters more than any single message.
- Sudden changes, like blocking or wiping a phone, can sometimes alert the person or lose evidence. A specialist can help you decide what to do and when.
- Saving evidence is optional. Only do it if it feels safe.
- You don't need to know who is behind it to ask for advice.
What cyberstalking can look likeSome common patterns. You don't need to recognise all of them.
- Messages, calls, emails or comments that keep coming after you've asked them to stop
- New or fake accounts appearing each time you block one
- Contacting your friends, family, employer or children online
- Knowing where you are, what you've said or who you've seen
- Logging into your email, social media, cloud or banking accounts
- Posting about you, pretending to be you, or spreading false claims
- Sharing or threatening to share intimate images
- Ordering things to your address, or signing you up to services
Some people describe feeling that the person is "always there". That feeling makes sense when contact can reach you anywhere, at any hour.
Thinking before changing thingsWhy it can help to pause and plan.
It's natural to want to block, delete or change everything at once. That can be right for some people. For others, a sudden change can show the person you've noticed, or remove evidence you might want later.
Some questions a specialist might help you think through:
- Would the person notice if a password changed or an account was closed?
- Is there a device they have never had access to that you could use?
- Do you want to keep a copy of anything before changing it?
- Are there children's devices or shared family accounts involved?
There's no wrong answer, and you can change your mind.
Checking your accountsMost access comes from known passwords or shared accounts, not hacking.
When you feel ready, and on a safer device if you can, you might look at:
- Which phones and computers are signed in to your email, Apple ID or Google account
- Recovery email addresses and phone numbers, in case they belong to the person
- Two-step verification, and where the codes are sent
- Shared family plans, shared cloud photos and saved passwords in a browser
- Forwarding rules in your email that copy messages elsewhere
Step-by-step guides: Refuge Tech Safety; our Cyberstalking & Digital Safety hub.
Stalkerware, trackers and smart devicesHidden apps, location tags and connected home gadgets.
Stalkerware is software put on a phone or computer to secretly copy messages, calls or location. Possible signs include the person knowing things only your phone would show, unfamiliar apps, or settings you didn't change. None of these prove it on their own.
Bluetooth trackers can be hidden in bags, cars or gifts. Many phones can warn you about an unknown tracker travelling with you. Smart doorbells, cameras, speakers and car apps can also be misused by someone who set them up or still has the login.
A factory reset can remove stalkerware, but also wipes evidence and may be noticed. If you find a tracker, photographing where it was before moving it may help. Get advice first if you can.
Read more: Trackers; Spyware signs.
Intimate images shared or threatenedHelp exists, and it is not your fault.
If someone has shared, or is threatening to share, intimate images of you, the Revenge Porn Helpline can help get images removed from many platforms. StopNCII.org lets adults create a digital fingerprint of an image on their own device so partner platforms can block it, without the image itself being uploaded.
If the images are of someone under 18, the Internet Watch Foundation and Childline's Report Remove tool can help.
Keeping evidence, if it's safeA partial record is still useful.
- Screenshots that show the date, time, sender and username or number
- The web address (URL) of posts or profiles, as accounts can be deleted
- Keeping original messages rather than only screenshots, if you can
- A simple log of what happened and how it affected you
- Storing copies somewhere the person can't reach, or with someone you trust
You never need to reply to, contact or confront the person to gather evidence.
Templates: technology-facilitated abuse incident log; how to keep a record safely.
The law across the UKOnline behaviour can be covered by several laws. You don't need to work out which.
Stalking laws apply to online behaviour as well as in person: in England and Wales the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in Scotland section 39 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, and in Northern Ireland the Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.
Across the UK, accessing someone's accounts or devices without permission may be an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Sharing or threatening to share intimate images can also be an offence; the specific law differs by nation.
Whether something is an offence depends on the facts and on legal tests. A specialist or the police can look at the whole pattern.
Sources:
Reporting to platforms and police, if you chooseBoth are options, neither is required.
Most apps and social media sites have a way to report harassment or impersonation. Saving evidence before reporting may help, as content can disappear once removed.
If you report to the police, you can describe the whole pattern, online and offline, and how it has changed your life. You can ask for a stalking advocate to support you.
Read more: Police and reporting; What happens after you report.
Specialist help
- National Stalking Helpline (Suzy Lamplugh Trust)0808 802 0300
- Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 24 hours0808 2000 247Tech safety guidance: refugetechsafety.org
- Revenge Porn Helplinerevengepornhelpline.org.uk
- Find more specialist support, including services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Nothing on this page is saved or sent anywhere. Opening outside links can leave a trace in your browser history.
General information only. This does not replace advice from a solicitor or specialist domestic abuse service about your own situation. The law and court procedures differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and they change.
- Covers:
- England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
- Sources last checked:
- not yet re-checked against current law
- Qualified legal review:
- pending, please check details with a solicitor or advocate before relying on them