Online stalker and bully after Toronto woman

matou

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I read this article this week in the Metro newspaper in Toronto. The victim is being constantly harassed and even threatened with rape. The stalker goes by "Marty" and has even posted a comment in the article that I am linking. The victim also has comments in the article, claiming the stalker has communicated with her more times. I actually want Anonymous to get involved. This person is sick and NOT remorseful.

On a Friday night, about two weeks after her brother took his own life, Vanessa Bruno got a message through AboutMe.com that looked like it came from him. At first, she thought it was a delayed suicide note, but it wasn’t.

“It said: ‘Maybe if you weren’t such a ***** your brother wouldn’t have killed himself,’” Bruno recalled in an interview.

The message was part of a series of harassing, threatening online messages from a stalker. When it began last spring, it consisted of “petty,” “jealous girl” comments, but by the end of the summer it had escalated to rape threat, descriptions of stalking her in the offline world, and emotional torture about her brother’s death.
http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/86...own-online-stalker-who-threatens-to-rape-her/
 
The unknown stalker now uses a service to mask his or her IP address, but Bruno says two IP addresses used from the start—one appears to have originated a few blocks away from her and one from Ajax—may indicate his real address.

However, that evidence may not be enough. If the stalker was using public Internet or they can argue someone else was using their computer, they may never be charged, Bruno said.

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/86...own-online-stalker-who-threatens-to-rape-her/
 
Bruno first reported the stalker to the Toronto Police Service last spring, she said.

“They’ve (the stalker) been harassing me through every social media avenue that they could be anonymous through,” she said. “They sent a friend of mine a message saying, ‘When I’m done with Vanessa I’m going to slit your baby’s throat.’ She was pregnant in her profile picture on Facebook. That’s when I called the police.”


OMG.

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/86...own-online-stalker-who-threatens-to-rape-her/
 
I wonder if and where she posted on SM about her brothers death.

She has a blog and all her accounts are open and tied to it, which makes it easy for a stalker to follow and harass her.

The only way they will ever be able to attempt to control this type of behavior online is if all these different sites have a verification process when you sign up. It's just to easy to remain anonymous on the web.

This kind of stuff happens way more than what most people realize.

I keep my accounts locked down. I don't connect accounts and I use different user names for everything.
 
crazy. and scary. always best to keep your online footprint very small. however, if it is someone that knows you...that is a different story. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a woman that she knows.

I went thru something similar about 13 years ago and came really close to getting a restraining order. The person doing it to me was the fiancé of my [then] boyfriend's best friend. Oh the stories I could tell of what all she did to me. Ugh! I actually did my own investigation into who was doing this to me, found out it was her. My boyfriend then hired a private investigator to confirm my investigation. When we made copies of both investigations (huge folder of paper) and sent it to my "friend", her fiancé and her family along with threatening to go to the police she stopped. But then years later she tried again and I again stopped her in her tracks with legal threats. I now keep tabs on her because it got so bad I was literally afraid she would destroy my life....and she always pops back up over the years.

This was way before "cyber bullying laws" and the ability to hide your IP addy. maybe that is why she hasn't done anything in the last 7 years or so...that and she wouldn't be able to find me now anyways. lol
 
crazy. and scary. always best to keep your online footprint very small. however, if it is someone that knows you...that is a different story. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a woman that she knows.

I went thru something similar about 13 years ago and came really close to getting a restraining order. The person doing it to me was the fiancé of my [then] boyfriend's best friend. Oh the stories I could tell of what all she did to me. Ugh! I actually did my own investigation into who was doing this to me, found out it was her. My boyfriend then hired a private investigator to confirm my investigation. When we made copies of both investigations (huge folder of paper) and sent it to my "friend", her fiancé and her family along with threatening to go to the police she stopped. But then years later she tried again and I again stopped her in her tracks with legal threats. I now keep tabs on her because it got so bad I was literally afraid she would destroy my life....and she always pops back up over the years.

This was way before "cyber bullying laws" and the ability to hide your IP addy. maybe that is why she hasn't done anything in the last 7 years or so...that and she wouldn't be able to find me now anyways. lol

That must have been awful to deal with. I'm glad this person stopped. Although they have implemented these laws in the US, most LE don't know much at all about them and I've heard they are very hard to enforce. Also, each states laws can be different and vague.

I can't imagine not knowing or having any idea who the person is that is doing the stalking. That would make it very creepy.

BBM: The more a person has things locked down the easier it would be to narrow down the potential list of suspects. If a person uses the internet for business purposes and networking, locking everything down sometimes isn't an option. This appears to be the case with her, as she most likely wants to draw viewers to her blog and she is very outspoken in her blog.

I would recommend that people have separate accounts for personal and business use and not attach a personal photo with a real name.
 
O/T - Did anyone read the article in the link about the teacher being cyberstalked?
 
Okay this "victim" appears to be an adult, not some hormonal kid.

She could have closed her various accounts and started protecting her privacy online but instead there is this article about the "cyber stalker"? The cyber stalker that makes rape threats? And threatens to cut her best friend's baby's throat?

Oh please.
 
Okay this "victim" appears to be an adult, not some hormonal kid.

She could have closed her various accounts and started protecting her privacy online but instead there is this article about the "cyber stalker"? The cyber stalker that makes rape threats? And threatens to cut her best friend's baby's throat?

Oh please.

she is very out there. and a self proclaimed entrepreneur and award winning copywriter. she makes her living being out there online it seems. http://about.me/vanessabruno

not surprised she would draw some 'fans'. I still think that if this is truly happening it is someone she knows personally, not some stranger.
 
she names real people in some of her blog posts

perhaps it's a former roommate of hers whose initials could be L.S. who once threatened to stab her in the face?

...

After reviewing the content of the blog, it did come to my mind that it could be any one of a number of people, that didn't like what she wrote about them.
 
Reading through this stuff, I agree with those who think the stalker may be a woman - and I'll even go so far as to say it may be Bruno herself.
 
After reviewing the content of the blog, it did come to my mind that it could be any one of a number of people, that didn't like what she wrote about them.

Yup. I don't think we can quote from Twitter accounts, but go to the Twitter for "Marty" and read the entries from June 19 that reference online privacy and a taste of one's own medicine. My impression is that Ms. Bruno's mouth got her in trouble, and the way she's participating in the comments for her own news article suggests to me that she doesn't entirely regret the attention. Not that that is any excuse for someone to engage in online abuse and threats. It needs to be shut down.

As an aside, her online content is cringe-worthy. And she should forget the (bad) haiku. :moo:
 
Reading through this stuff, I agree with those who think the stalker may be a woman - and I'll even go so far as to say it may be Bruno herself.

Yes. It might be Bruno herself. That might be why the Toronto Police aren't moving on this. She may also be bipolar, or have had a mental breakdown after her brother committed suicide.

There doesn't seem to be much online defensive action taken to prevent this from happening, so it makes me wonder ...

OTOH, we don't know for sure that there isn't a real stalker involved.
 
Man arrested over vicious and threatening online torment of Toronto woman

Happy to hear this. The guy's name is MICHAEL SOPINKA. He has harassed at least one other woman and he got naked photos of this other person. It's very likely he did this to other girls and women as well.

In December, Michael Sopinka was arrested, charged with criminal harassment, threatening death and threatening bodily harm. He is expected to appear in court Friday to enter a plea.

Bruno will be there — in part to find out more about the person who stands accused of harassing her for months on end, because she knows next to nothing about him or why he allegedly fixated on her.


http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/91...s-online-torment-of-threatened-toronto-woman/
 
She alleges that after the suspect was arrested, the detective seemed more concerned about how he and his family would feel if his name was made public than about getting justice, and advised her not to disclose the suspect’s name to Metro.

“He kept talking about what a nice family he has. What about my family?” she said.

“The only justice I feel I have is letting the world know who’s been arrested for this.”


Protecting the bully/criminal again. Now's the time to find more info about this person.

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/91...s-online-torment-of-threatened-toronto-woman/
 
australian-facebook-grab.png


http://metronewsca.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/australian-facebook-grab.png

This other woman was also threatened by this man, not Bruno. Not a very nice man IMO. I feel sorry for his wife.
 

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