[Mequa]

I received the following message last year which was posted publicly on an online forum (it was up until the user in question removed all content).
I'm wondering whether this sort of thing is best taken seriously, or ignored.

The message (with swears censored) follows:

So yeah, I know so much about you it makes you uncomfortable. And the more you **** with the people I like, the greater the odds one day it'll be doomsday. We're on the same continent yeah. If I catch the early train, we could have some tea and I'd be back before my pubs open.

So let's not fool around. I scare the **** out of you because you don't really know how ****ing crazy I am. You don't need to admit, just keep pretending to be a big boy. But I own you, and you know it.

It's so simple; stop being a pain in the ass and I don't even think about you. I got better **** to do. But if you keep ****ing with my peeps, the day will come I'll teach you how it's really done.

Feel free to think I'm all talk.

The above also posted my University details on the same site, including my course of study and location, and alluded to sending defamatory material about me towards my University department.

Another member of the above forum made the following threat:

let me say again, for effect, **** YOU... And as for notifying the authorities about people who will kick your ass in real life... put my name at the top of your list.

He also made a crass reference to a medical condition I have, which he found out about, to the effect of ending my life if he ever came across me on the street.

Another member replied to the above:

Add my name to that list as well. I'd honestly have no problem feeding you your own anus.

That later member posted my home address publicly, in the context of such violent threats being sent in my direction, which they obtained through snooping through various online content. (It was 8 years out of date, but the intention was pretty clear.) He also posted my mother's real name (most likely obtained through snooping through my Facebook details).

Another member posted my real name publicly on two Internet forums, including the above one, and openly threatened: "I will take your teeth".

In case you are wondering what the administration on such forums did: They turned a blind eye (as the ones making the threats were both personal friends of the administration and deeply respected members of the site), and in fact joined in, adding their own abuse. One admin repeated my real name after I objected to it being aired publicly, before banning me from the forum as an alleged "troublemaker". (Naturally, nothing was done about additional abuse posted afterwards.) The site owner himself privately told me that he disagreed with my treatment, but didn't wish to object to it as it might make him unpopular among his regulars.

The same members openly bragged about their contempt for the law (and online anonymity), and it is clear that such threats as above constitute a criminal offence in the countries involved. The first member indeed lives on the same continent, and has my general location in case he was inclined to pay a visit. Let's just say I consider many of the above to have sociopathic tendencies.

So, in the light of all the above, how seriously should these threats be taken?


P.S. Excuse "above" in the poll.

[dongonaeatu]

(Original post by Mequa)
I received the following message last year which was posted publicly on an online forum (it was up until the user in question removed all content).
I'm wondering whether this sort of thing is best taken seriously, or ignored.

The message (with swears censored) follows:



The above also posted my University details on the same site, including my course of study and location, and alluded to sending defamatory material about me towards my University department.

Another member of the above forum made the following threat:



He also made a crass reference to a medical condition I have, which he found out about, to the effect of ending my life if he ever came across me on the street.

Another member replied to the above:



That later member posted my home address publicly, in the context of such violent threats being sent in my direction, which they obtained through snooping through various online content. (It was 8 years out of date, but the intention was pretty clear.) He also posted my mother's real name (most likely obtained through snooping through my Facebook details).

Another member posted my real name publicly on two Internet forums, including the above one, and openly threatened: "I will take your teeth".

In case you are wondering what the administration on such forums did: They turned a blind eye (as the ones making the threats were both personal friends of the administration and deeply respected members of the site), and in fact joined in, adding their own abuse. One admin repeated my real name after I objected to it being aired publicly, before banning me from the forum as an alleged "troublemaker". (Naturally, nothing was done about additional abuse posted afterwards.) The site owner himself privately told me that he disagreed with my treatment, but didn't wish to object to it as it might make him unpopular among his regulars.

The same members openly bragged about their contempt for the law (and online anonymity), and it is clear that such threats as above constitute a criminal offence in the countries involved. The first member indeed lives on the same continent, and has my general location in case he was inclined to pay a visit. Let's just say I consider many of the above to have sociopathic tendencies.

So, in the light of all the above, how seriously should these threats be taken?


P.S. Excuse "above" in the poll.

no

[EGjeff]

Any reason for these threats?

Only time I've seen similiar is when a notorious scammer has been caught out on the car forums I frequent, you're not one of those are you?

Anyway, seeing as it was a last year and these tough guys and their 'peeps' haven't chopped you up yet, I'd say you're safe. You'd be surprised what people can find online and when it's presented to you in such a threatening manor you could easily think they know more about you than they actually do.

[ConstantlyStressed]

I agree with EGjeff - is there any reason why these members acted the way they did? Something you said, perhaps?

If so, you must have struck a nerve; they evidently did a lot of research and spent a relatively large amount of time searching up your private info.

I think this whole scenario just re-iterates the fact that the internet is definitely not safe, and should be treated with caution.

[Venomilys]

do you ever 'mess' with people and generally do bad-ass things irl? or are you just average joe going about your life?

if the latter applies to you then you can be absolutely certain that this is a bored troll who has access to your personal information (somehow). You can report it to the police and they can track the IP address.

[fallenangel]

Should have called the police imo

[Play-A-Record!]

What on earth have you said or done?

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by ConstantlyStressed)
I agree with EGjeff - is there any reason why these members acted the way they did? Something you said, perhaps?

If so, you must have struck a nerve; they evidently did a lot of research and spent a relatively large amount of time searching up your private info.

I think this whole scenario just re-iterates the fact that the internet is definitely not safe, and should be treated with caution.

That's a naive view to take.

[Nick1sHere]

Holy **** what did you do? Sounds like you pissed off a whole army of internet faggots... Damn

[ConstantlyStressed]

(Original post by ANARCHY__)
That's a naive view to take.

Care to elaborate?

[NutterFrutter]

(Original post by ConstantlyStressed)
I agree with EGjeff - is there any reason why these members acted the way they did? Something you said, perhaps?

If so, you must have struck a nerve; they evidently did a lot of research and spent a relatively large amount of time searching up your private info.

I think this whole scenario just re-iterates the fact that the internet is definitely not safe, and should be treated with caution.

Why is the internet not safe? The internet is perfectly safe. Users of the internet sometimes allow their own details to be compromised and reveal too much about themselves, it is of course their own fault.

You're overestimating the amount of research these people would have done. It wouldn't have taken them very long to gather all the information assuming it was readily available e.g. Facebook, Twitter, personal blog etc.

[JammyChoos]

First of all, make your social networking accounts private. Secondly, these people obviously know who you are, where you live etc. Which makes the threat real ( if they didnt, you could have just brushed it off).

Keep copies of the threats and either trace the IP address to the owner and kick his ass OR tell the police.


TELLING THE POLICE IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO seeing a theres more than one person involved which means it will be harder for you to beat the crap out oclf them

[Stevo112]

Generally people can quite easily find out your personal information, especially if you use a common username.

There are a lot of internet cowboys who will have a pop at you for random things. The trick is to try and keep away from internet interactions as much as possible and focus on offline friendships etc. A number of people on online forums are quite dickish. I would personally quit any forum in which the members started threatening me in this sort of way. Admittedly though I would be curious to know what set them off in the first place....

[Sophie_girl]

you're omitting quite important details such as why so many people seem to hate you on that forum, and you were banned as a 'trouble maker' - what did you do?

kind of sounds like you have been extremely offensive to receive such responses, and are now trying to play the victim...

[madders94]

To those who are saying that people must have done something to warrant threats; not necessarily. There is a vile, vile forum on the internet set up as an off-shoot of a very popular entertainment one, and if they find a poster who disagrees with them on something they go out of their way to make horrific threats and say awful things and find the personal details of these people, and some of the people on there are so disgusting that it wouldn't surprise me if they would carry out their threats if they weren't all 40-stone keyboard warriors you are probably jammed into their seat so they can't move away from the computer.

To the OP, I am curious to know the context of these messages but regardless, I'd report them to the police - they have your details and they're making threats, I don't think that's something to take lightly.

[Oh my Ms. Coffey]

£10 OP scammed someone on runescape.

[ANARCHY__]

(Original post by ConstantlyStressed)


Care to elaborate?

Sure. I just found your last statement a little simplistic and generalising a very broad issue. The Internet is like a lot of places and sources of social gathering. I can't imagine you'd feel particularly threatened walking down Mayfair or Chelsea late at night but there might be some trepidation if you were to do the same in Brixton or somewhere else like that. Likewise, if you act foolishly in certain parts of the Internet, you'd be right to feel a little scared but that by no means implies that the Internet is by any means even a little bit unsafe. The Internet is a vast conglomeration of ideas, people and information. It's simply a network that many humans exploit for their own or others needs.

[Uniqueness]

Moderately seriously in my opinion. However, I personally believe that you shouldn't of talked to, or provoked freaks like that in the first place. There are many people on the internet who get joy out of exerting power against others online. Then there is a whole other side of amazing people on the internet you can connect with. That's the kind of people I'd recommend associating yourself with. Like the friendly people on here. Of course it is easy to talk in hindsight, but you've hopefully become stronger from having to deal with these kind of people and are ready to move on and know the next people you deal with are gonna be nicer.