3
keywords: Cyberstalker Mike Lalonde also known as Michael John Lalonde
or even Michael Lalonde of Greater Sudbury, Ontario Canada online
safety

How to avoid being cyberstalked
by Michael Lalonde of wanderer tax solutions and jennifer heinz


Always select a gender-neutral username for your e-mail address or for
chat, etc. DON'T pick something cute, such as misskitty@aol.com or use
your first name if it is obviously female. Since the majority of
online victims are female, this is what harassers look for. Also, be
cautious of using your first and last name as your user name. If you
are listed in the phone book, having a user name such as
firstname.lastname@hotmail.commakes you an easy target.


Keep your primary e-mail address private.Use your primary e-mail
address ONLY for people you know and trust. Get a free email account
through some place like Hotmail, Juno or Yahoo! and use that for all
your other on-line activity. Make sure you select a gender-neutral
username that is nothing like anything you've had before.



DON'T fill out profiles! When you sign up for your e-mail account,
whether it's through your ISP (Internet safety providersuch as AOL or
Compuserve) or a free one (such as Yahoo!), fill out as little
information about yourself as possible. You do NOT need to fill out
everything they ask for. When you hit the submit button, you will be
told what informationis absolutely necessary to get your account
opened. The same goes for profiles in IM (Instant Messenger) programs
such as ICQ or AOLs IM and chat rooms. Never, ever fill out your
profiles, unless you want the whole world to know everything about
you.



DO block or ignore unwanted users. Whether you are in a chat room or
using IM, you should always check out what options/preferences are
available to you and take advantage of the "Blockall users except
those on my buddy list" or add unwanted usernames to an Ignore list in
chat. If anyone bothers you and won't go away, put them on block or
ignore!



DON'T defend yourself.Yes, this is the most common reaction when
someone begins to bother you online.Most people naturally want to
defend themselves, but a reaction from you is just what the harasser
wants. He or she is "fishing" for someone to latch onto and harass.
When you reply to them, whether in a chat room, via IM, e-mail, in
newsgroups, message boards or anywhere else online, you're letting
them know you're upset. That's exactly what they want - bait and
you've become it. No matter how hard it is to do, ignore these people.
When they realize they can't bother you, they'll go on to the next
chat room, newsgroup, etc and try to find another "fish."

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