I got in a political argument with some clown on Facebook. He managed to retrieve my wife’s cell phone number and our home phone which is unlisted and technically just provided by our Internet company that we never use.
None our personal info is really available on Facebook and our profiles are pretty locked down, but he called my wife’s phone a few times last week which she has blocked and never answers. Comes up as anonymous on her id.
He tried our home phone 16 times which I ignored, everything stopped, he called again tonight. I decided to answer. He said he knows where I live my wife and daughters name, and our address. He never gave out that though and that he is coming to kill us. Said that on the line
I have called my local police department. But this is rural Nebraska they said they can’t do anything or have our phone companies run a trace.
Is there anything I can do to figure out who this guy is?
Find out his number and start harassing him back.
He probably found your info online through a data broker. Everyone’s info is pretty available on any search engine…
I had a similar situation once. I signed up for Optery to try to delete all of my info. It worked. Also, keep in mind that you can be tracked via family. So you might delete your data, but some of your info may still be available if they’re able to look up any family members.
This also works in reverse though! If you have any of his info, you can look him up on various data broker sites.
Also, I invested in an alarm system, cameras to sleep better at night. Slept with my phone near and I bought some pepper spray and a bat.
Next time he calls and says he’s going to kill your family, reply:
“mind if I yank one off while I watch?”
That should end the harassment.
Get a gun and learn how to use it.
But as other commenters have said, if he was actually intending on killing you, it’d be real stupid to call you in advance to say so. Most likely just wants to scare you.
Dangerous logic to assume escalation isn’t likely. If this person gets frustrated enough or gets radicalized enough OP will be first on their list.
I didn’t say it categorically wouldn’t happen, just that if that was the person’s real intentions then they’ve been very stupid about it. If you’re going to commit a murder don’t create evidence pointing to you. Like the other commenter said, a gun and self defence skills will cover you in both cases.
Your characterization of a rational, well adjusted individual not broadcasting premeditated violence is logical. However, a rational person would not make threats toward an internet stranger by telephone. That disqualifies this individual from rational which is why I would consider them extremely dangerous. After seeing Jan 6 participants get pardoned and a 24/7 feed of “us vs. them” propaganda, rationality as a constraint is off the table. That alone should scare OP. Indeed, should scare us all.
That’s where the first part comes in.
Though he should have said “get at least two guns, you and your wife learn to use it, and carry one even at home for a while just in case.”
I’m a she. But yes, I think arming yourself is a good idea regardless of the likelihood you’ll need it.
My bad.
But yes I agree with her (you) lol.
You know the person’s Facebook name? That might help.
Maybe this? https://www.ic3.gov/
Id let some neighbors know because safety in numbers. If he truly wants to show up, then it will be an unfair fight.
Be safe and be kind to those around you.
As i don’t want to divulge too much, some information will be sporatic/somewhat improper.
My family dealt with a neighbor, which of whom I can only describe as a plurality of serial harassers. By that I mean we were not the first, nor the last family for this entire family to explicitly target and fixate on for at least months on end. This was before 2016 to add (they ended up right where you’d expect).
Not just a not ring camera. Seriously DM me and im more than willing to help on the technical side of setting up a Frigate local NVR. Shouldnt cost your more than $200. If you go the home assistant route, it makes it trivial to set up an alarm system with zigbee or simular devices.
Now i have to be careful, among other things the neighbor was having their kids steal our mail, we recorded evidence of such, but they seemingly had a friend in the PD. Im not saying to expect this or necessarily take my advice, but especially being a red area, the cops will not help you if it comes to it. They will be 15 minutes after a shooting is called in.
We had evideable damage and video of one of their kids trying to break in our garage.
They still put my parents enployement at the time in jeopardy.
You get the 2A side of that, but ideally you want to avoid that entirely.
We eventually put up proper cameras, and some of the derangement subsided, floodlights are of particular use.
You cannot let yourself live in paranoia. But similarly you cannot be caught with your pants down.
We were in a ranch, thus no upstairs. They would shine flashlights at our windows. Laser pointer to the eyes would stop them quick.
Your situation is a lot more - forward. But there are pieces of information i believe you could use to your benefit in a preparedness scenario.
Again, DM me if you need any technical help, I’ll be happy to
PS definitely be done with FB. Theres a lot more shit than this one clown to do with that place. Ive been trying to avert my SOs father from something similar as well, but FB is another tool of this admin ib many ways
If someone is stealing your mail, don’t involve the police. That is a task for the postal inspection service, and they don’t play. They are generally the only enforcement branch for postal issues, unless an agreement has been filed for local or other enforcement agencies.
Thank you, hopefully never will have to go for that wringer again, it was very odd seeing state cops be dismissive of clear video evidence to say the least
Get something on your phones to record conversations. Don’t delete your voicemail
Swear out a warrant if you have a name.
I’m sorry that you and your family are going through this, this is a genuinely terrifying situation to be in and you’re not overreacting by going to the police or taking this guy seriously.
Considering your logistics, you should look into getting a firearm if you don’t have one already. It also doesn’t hurt to put in a police report like others suggested. One thing I haven’t seen suggested itt: if there are people in your family that are too young for school/daycare or SAHW you need to think about having a contingency plan for them in case you’re at work. This could be anything from an escape route if someone gets into the house to having neighbors show up at a phone call (or leaving family with them).
Who downvoted this?
ITT: “Probably just a harmless troll”
In any other time in my life I would have agreed. However, the amount of delusion that has infected a great number of our populace means you need to take this seriously. A few more weeks of paranoia and propaganda and this person might just decide it is their holy duty to act.
Others have said arming yourself and increasing home security. That gets you to 50/50 odds in an actual confrontation, imo. Better than nothing.
Also agree with others that the police will be useless until it is time to draw a chalk outline around someone. If you can afford it, it might be time to get a lawyer involved. Rule of law isn’t completely dead at the working level and properly applied pressure from the judiciary might prompt action by authorities. At least it might force some sort of discovery that could enable additional actions.
Good luck.
The police are useless
Everybodys gangsta til they catch a molotov cocktail to the face. A ring camera, a fire extinguisher. Hard to shoot someone when youre on fire. And you should know theyre coming. The moment anyone enters the threshold, neutralize them. If you want to be a good Samaritan ensure they cant threaten anyone else.
Yeah I’m not gonna molotov a guy inside my own house, I’ll just use an AR. Easier clean up.
Not everyone has an AR nor the neccassary training to use one safely. You cant possibly fuck up a molotov, and it has the benefit of blinding the aggressor which dramatically reduces chances of you recieving return fire. Yeah, fire is a risk, but it sends a pewerful message. I dont think you could get away with putting maga heads on spikes outside your house, so the vague smell of burning flesh might give any further aggressors a clue.
Yet you’re suggesting using a molotov cocktail inside your home is safer? I’m guessing you’ve never used one of those, either (and neither have I mr fbi man that’s very illegal and I would never…) but they’re not exactly super controllable.
Nor are they practical, you have to keep them capped or the gas will evaporate, so you’d have to open it, soak your rag, and stuff it all while saying “hold on mr home invader I’ll be right with you.”
Nor is it legal, the AR is a self defense case that in my state is pretty cut and dry, the Molotov is an unregistered destructive device charge, an arson charge, and probably an attempted murder charge since he’ll likely survive with third degree burns tbh.
I’m assuming you’re joking anyway, but fun to debate nonetheless lol.
Oh wow, didnt realise molotovs are illegal. Obv theyre illegal to use on someone, but merely possessing one being illegal is absurd. Seeing as that is off the table, yeah it seems a firearm is the way to go. Those seem less personal though, and they dont do much to obscure your location so return fire is to be expected. I guess my only advise there is to use hollow point so you dont shoot your neighbors.
Well it is illegal to posses, unless you successfully register it as a destructive device with ATF but if you had the qualifications you needed you’d know about it, so we can’t do it.
For sure hollow points though.
I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with an unhinged lunatic, and I’m frustrated on your behalf that the police won’t do anything. Ironically, you could call the police, threaten to kill their family, and you’ll be picked up for free and taken to a safe place the lunatic can’t get at you
I’d start by identifying what he actually knows. He’s proven he has obtained your names, phone numbers, and probably that you live in Nebraska; which is scary enough, but not enough to find you and cause harm.
Search for your names and phone numbers using multiple search engines. I would look for addresses, or places of work. If he can find out where you work, it makes it much easier for an adversary to find you. An easy place to check is LinkedIn. If there is a connection with your names and where you work, I’d speak with someone at work. Tell them you have a stalker and:
- Ensure any customer support agents are aware they are NEVER to provide personal information about employees, EVEN IF IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR BOSS ON THE PHONE. KnowB4 has some good training resources (not sponsored)
- To inform you if anyone has requested you / your family’s information.
Next time he calls, you can ask him for your address. He’s been pretty up front about the knowledge he has so far, so check his homework and see how far he’s gotten. That will give you an idea if he can actually attack now, or attack later. If he doesn’t know your address / where you work, it doesn’t mean he can’t find out later. I’d also suggest to not lead with (do you know where I work?) as it will give him an idea; but maybe ask him how he plans on killing you? Gruesome, but it’ll let him blab. Maybe ask a friend to do this so you’re not up all night thinking about it.
On the protection side: Unfortunately if the police isn’t willing to help, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands. Idk what the firearm laws are like in Nebraska, but you might want to look into it for self defence. I cant answer legal questions, but I’m more than happy to talk about firearms
Do some of your own counter-intelligence yourself. Look up the guys name, email, phone number; whatever you can get (I wasn’t able to look at the Facebook profile). Build a profile against him. Might help next time you contact the police. Also, write it down somewhere and take screenshots. If he knows you’re onto him, he could delete his accounts.
Finally, speak with a lawyer. They may be able to offer additional advice and bully the courts / police into getting off their asses and helping you more
I’m sorry I can’t do more to help but offer advice and answer questions
Good luck
If you can DM me their name and any other identifying info you have (general city, photos, phone number, email address, social links, etc.) I can maybe provide quite a bit of info on them. I will not say how.
But I would also ask what the end game is here?
The end game is to make sure he’s not a threat. But he did threaten to kill my family. So if the law needs to get involved it can. I linked the Facebook profile. https://www.facebook.com/share/17tf1oeG8S/
That’s all I have on him
Unfortunately there’s no real way to identify him from the profile, but this guy’s almost certainly just a harmless troll.
His profile has zero identifying info and is clearly intended to be a harassment account. (literally the only post he’s ever made is a sign saying “Support Your Local ICE Raids”) A clear hallmark of a troll is just an account made for a clear and obvious purpose: aggravating you.
The name “Frank Rizzo” is the same as this Frank Rizzo who did things like urging supporters to “vote white”, decreasing black people hired as part of the police force, raiding the Black Panther Party, general police brutality and racism, etc. A common thing trolls will do is take the name of a historical figure that somewhat aligns with the ideologies they’re trolling about, and using that name or a variation of it.
If he actually intended to kill your family, he wouldn’t have given you advance warning so you could prepare, and if he was local and was just stupid enough to do so, he probably would have shown up already.
Trolls incredibly frequently will just say anything they can to make you either angry or afraid, death threats included.
I’m not necessarily saying there’s no threat here, but it seems to me like just a guy making a deliberately inflammatory account, using data brokers to get freely available information because you annoyed him a bit, then saying what he can to make you angry and afraid because that’s why he made the account in the first place.
It’s not entirely true that you can’t identify him from that Facebook account. It’s just really, really hard.
Facebook almost certainly knows who he is. Like specifically, name and all. Their data mining is VERY extensive, and he likely has other accounts.
Anyway, with a lawyer’s help, you can (possibly) get a court order for Facebook to reveal what they have on the guy. They certainly have things like IP addresses and timestamps, but they also probably have name, other associated accounts, viewing history across the web (from those “share with Facebook” icons/links, even if untouched), and hundreds or thousands of additional pages.
Is it worthwhile? Probably not. But it can be done.
I hate to say it, but I absolutely guarantee the law will do nothing but show up afterwards and pick up the pieces. If he does decide to get his fat ass off the couch and come get you, you’ll have to handle him yourself.
Unfortunately I can’t do much with just that.
Keep a gun close, add some cameras, but otherwise this person is probably just a POS troll.
