6 Signs That You Are Being Stalked

January 31, 2022 - Reading time: 11 minutes

Whatever the situation or circumstances, stalking is a behaviour which should always act as a cause for serious concern. Whether you are being stalked by a former partner, friend, or someone that is not directly known to you, the fear and anxiety which can result from being stalked is often significant and long lasting for many victims.

Furthermore, stalking can be linked to many serious crimes such as assault, robbery; even acts of terrorism in some cases. If you feel that someone could be stalking you then we would recommend taking steps to document and safeguard yourself from any hostile acts.

As a leading detective agency based in the UK, we are often instructed to investigate cases which involve stalking. We have put together the following list of 6 signs that someone might be stalking you:

1. Lurking and loitering 

When it comes to cases which involve stalking, there is often something to be said for trusting your gut instincts. If you notice the same vehicle or person loitering in the same area or generally lurking around, and especially if they reappear throughout your day or week, then you would be wise to question their motives. Ask yourself: Are they loitering in one specific area for any significant period of time? Is there any logical reason for their behaviour?

2. Cyber stalking

Cyber stalking can take place on social media sites, messaging apps, dating sites/apps, forums, e-mail, and generally anywhere on the internet. The intent behind cyber stalking can be to annoy or harass the victim, which can often cause considerable stress and anxiety.

In other cases which involve cyber stalking the perpetrator may seek to gather personal information from a victim’s social media profiles, such as their address ("dox"), their workplace, their vehicle(s), locations they regularly visit, and similar data, which can be used to further a campaign of harassment.

 

Many of us are active on social media platforms, with some of us deciding to regularly share updates including our current whereabouts through social media. Many do not fully appreciate the amount of information that we are deciding to make public through social media.

A comprehensive analysis of a subject’s social media profiles and digital footprint can usually giveaway information about their employment, friend group, recreational activities, routines, vehicles, and more.

Smart devices (such as smartwatches) can be used to track routes travelled during your morning run or cycle – many of us would not think twice before deciding to publish this information onto social media. To a stalker or to someone with malicious intent, having access to the exact route taken, and the time you made this journey, could prove to be very useful.

Many cases of stalking, or indeed hostile reconnaissance, involve an element of cyber stalking. We recommend a common-sense approach; you would be wise to carefully consider what information you choose to divulge through social media and the internet in general.

If you are concerned that someone might be stalking you, then it might be a good idea to ‘lockdown’ your social media profiles, and be wary of who you decide to accept friend or follow requests from.

3. Coincidental meets

Are you often bumping into the same person at different locations? Let’s say you run into them at a supermarket, then at the gym, then later at a café, all within the space of three days… What is the likelihood that you would both decide to visit these locations at the same time on each day? Of course, this could be purely innocent and coincidental, however it could act as a sign that they have a knowledge of your routine and are deliberately visiting locations that they know you will be at.

Consider adjusting your routine and visiting regular haunts at irregular times – are you still seeing the same person at those locations? If so, this could act as a cause for concern.

4. Malicious phone calls

Are you often receiving phone calls from ‘unknown’ or private callers? How about callers which hang-up after you have said “Hello”? Has your number been used somewhere without your consent or knowledge? Are you receiving telesales calls more often than usual? 

All of the above could act as a sign that someone is potentially making malicious phone calls to you. Malicious phone calls are an intimidating behaviour often seen by us in cases which involve stalking.

An obvious solution would be to change your phone number – this can be done by contacting your service provider. You might also find apps are helpful for blocking unwanted calls to your mobile, hardware devices are available for blocking calls to landline phones.

If you are receiving malicious phone calls then we would recommend making recordings and keeping a log which could be used as evidence. 

5. The same car follows you for prolonged time

Do you ever notice the same car in your rear-view mirror for a prolonged period of time? If a vehicle is travelling behind you for a significant distance and seems to be taking the same route as yourself, then you would be wise to question their intentions at some point.

If you take three left or three right turns in a row, effectively driving in a circle, and the vehicle in your rear-view mirror is still there, then you can be confident that it is probably following you.

Some may choose to drive erratically instead or take abrupt turns without indicating, for example. If you believe that someone could be following you then we would recommend that you remain calm and drive safely. If you feel that you may be in danger then you could either contact the authorities by making a phone call using your car’s handsfree system, or drive to the nearest police station.

Doubling back on yourself is another tactic which can be used to see if the vehicle behind is following you. However, you may find it advantageous to ‘play dumb’ and not make it known that you are aware a car is following you... If your adversary knows that their cover was blown then they will be more likely to use tactics such as changing their vehicle or using tracking devices.

If you believe that you are being followed, then it would be a good idea to check your vehicle for tracking devices.

6. There is a tracking device fitted to your car

If an assailant is willing to follow your vehicle or to stalk you, then you should be mindful of them taking the step of fitting a tracker to your vehicle.

Tracking devices are very small and are easily concealed underneath cars, in one of the bumpers, or inside the trim. Trackers are small enough that they can even be concealed on motorcycles or even bicycles in some cases.

As private investigators, we often use GPS tracking devices and understand their capabilities. If a tracking device is installed on your vehicle, then it can be used to track the exact location of your car 24 hours a day.

Trackers are small, easy to conceal, and can be installed within a matter of seconds. As the price of these devices has decreased, they are now more readily available than ever. There have been numerous documented cases where stalkers have used tracking devices to keep tabs on their victims.

Keeping your vehicle securely locked behind gates or in a garage as much as possible can help to prevent trackers being fitted to it; for many people securing their vehicles in this way will not be possible, and crawling underneath your car on a regular basis to look for trackers is not a practical solution either.

If you suspect that someone might have fitted a tracker to your vehicle then one way to detect this would be to purchase a ‘bug detector’. If a tracker is fitted to your car, then a bug detector should detect the RF signals omitted by the tracker, and alert you that a tracker is present on your vehicle. We can also help to check your vehicle for tracking devices.

Do private investigators stalk people?

Private investigators typically vet their clients and try to understand exactly why each client has decided to hire them. If someone approaches a detective agency with malicious intent towards the subject of the investigation, then the detective should refuse their case.

With that being said, it is possible for a stalker to slip through the net and hire a private detective to help surveil their victim. If a private investigator is following you rather than a stalker, then you may find it harder to notice that you are being monitored – if the investigator is good at his/her job then they should remain undetected, meaning that you don’t notice them.

If you suspect that a private investigator could be following you, then we suggest reading our article How to tell if a private investigator is following you.

Can a private investigator help me if I am being stalked?

Yes, absolutely. If you feel that someone might be following you around (such as a stalker or a private investigator), then we can help to provide counter surveillance.

The goal of counter surveillance is typically to detect any surveillance or reconnaissance activity taking place and to identify those responsible. Once we have established that you are being stalked or subjected to surveillance, then we can help to gather evidence in the form of photos/video.

In cases where we discover that our client is being subjected to surveillance, we would typically provide advice on how to best frustrate any surveillance efforts, whilst simultaneously making those surveillance efforts as expensive as possible.

Please visit the PrivateInvestigators-UK homepage for more information about us and the services that we offer.

Related articles

• How to tell if a private investigator is following you
• What type of cars do private investigators drive?
• How private investigators dig up dirt on people