Stalking issue

[waverly]

I’ve gotten two text messages about 18 months apart that are in intent to cause harm/ lie about reputation. Whoever it is has public information about me- phone number and relationship, probably address etc. I do try to scrub my info from the internet but all this is available from property records vital records etc.

No one has come to my house or job or do anything like that, but I am worried it could esclate. I was phone stalked as a teenager so it could be that person coming back. I never knew who it was but assuming it was local to me then and they got the info from the phone book as it was a landline before caller ID etc or my parents didn’t enroll in those programs. So it could be that person because he had tried again after I graduated college. Or someone DH fired etc or neighbors that DH had a run in with.

Since some of you are in law enforcement and others savy- give me your advice. They don’t threaten, so not sure law enforcement would care. They spoof their number so it’s not a real person. I mean if is but it’s not like a person that has an intent of sitting down with me and having a discussion or helping me. Definitely either a new spoof/ scam or someone with bad intent. 2 different numbers. When we googled the numbers the first one was in LA I think and was a landline sending out text messages on a computer program. 2nd number tried to look more local but has no carrier associated no identity so a spoofed number. A legitimate number would have some data. At what point do I have to change my number. We changed password on phone account and changed names since DH thought they had gotten access to phone account info.

[mustardseed2007]

That is so terrifying, particularly given that it's happened to you before. I don't have super helpful advice to add other than to say I'm so sorry this is happening.

I don't have any experience but I think if it were me, I would change my phone number now.

ETA: But the law enforcement people will have better advice. That's just my knee jerk. And I'd have to phone in your H's name. 

[waverly]

The phone was in his name but public record says I am his wife so that info is out there and he has two numbers so they assume one is mine.

[erbear]

What kind of messages? That changes my answer a bit.

[waverly]

My H thinks it’s a scam like they give you misleading info and want you to pay money to get more info. It just throws me when they use actual names. And it’s not widespread but he did find some cases of it online. Makes me feel slightly better than my stalker is back. I just hate it has happened twice but someone has our names and numbers.

[mustardseed2007]

waverly, oh there's a website that works like this!! It spams you and then offers a service to help you scrub your online presence b/c there's some bad things about you online. One of our company principals received it and he freaked out, but once I looked at it I knew the whole service was a total scam and BS.

[waverly]

mustardseed2007. No website here, but the rest of it sounds like that. I won’t answer them because it gets weirder from experience. So basically they are checking that am I the person attached to this number. They want confirmation to do more whatever that is...

[xctsclrx]

Right now I am getting messages telling me I have been approved for my small business loan or student loan refinance. My husband has been getting them too. It's the new telemarketing scams

[2chatter]

That is scary! I had a phone stalker and totally forgot about it until this post. I got a couple texts with my name but they were clearly bad marketing or scams - absolutely nothing malicious. I think you can report them to your state, but can’t remember if you start with local police.

[mustardseed2007]

Not really the same thing at all, but still disturbing, I received a call a while ago from someone saying my phone number (on a work cell phone) was being used to make calls in a scam to sell car warranties. The guy was furious he was getting spammed and so called the number back. I had my cell phone on me and in my hand at the time he received the call.

I believed him b/c he didn't ask for anything he just said - oh well...then you might want to know that someone is using this number in the car warranty scam, although now that they've used it maybe they won't use it again.

It's amazing what criminals can do.

[mommyatty]

I turn in all of this stuff to the FCC. Not that I think they’ll do anything in the current administration, but I’m hoping in the future there is new legislation that forces the telecom companies to stop spoofing (using fake numbers) and crack down on calls from outside of the United States on internet lines. They totally have the technology to stop spoofing. They just have no financial reason to do it.

[waverly]

This is the scam.

www.scam-detector.com/article/your-lover-is-cheating Not sure how legit that website is, but it is the only one reporting that version, but it was text not phone call. The other version is that they contact they husband and say pay up you are cheating or we'll tell your wife.

I sent it to the broadband company, and they must have found something because they blocked the number from being used for anything (phone, text etc.)

[2chatter]

waverly - wow, it’s genius though, preying on insecurities for cash!! Mine have been more like “name I found what you lost call me”.