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Being Stalked? Here's What Steps You Should Take, Westchester DA Says

Each year, more than a million people are stalked, according to new statistics that have been released by officials.

January is National  Stalking Awareness Month.

January is National Stalking Awareness Month.

Photo Credit: Westchester County DA

Officials said that one in six women and one in 19 men have been stalked in their lifetime. An estimated 1,006,970 women and 370,990 men are stalked annually. Adults between 18 and 29 years old are the primary targets of stalking, comprising 52 percent of all victims. The average stalking case lasts about two years.

The majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know: 61 percent of female victims and 44% of male victims of stalking are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, 25 percent of female victims and 32percent of male victims are stalked by an acquaintance.

"Stalking is a crime & can be dangerous. Many stalking victims experience being followed, approached, monitored and/or threatened – including through various forms of technology. If you are being stalked, report it to local police," Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino's Office posted on Twitter.

According to the National Stalking Resource Center, stalkers may: 

  • Follow you and show up wherever you are;
  • Send unwanted gifts, letters, cards, or e-mails;
  • Damage your home, car, or other property;
  • Monitor your phone calls or computer use;
  • Use technology, like hidden cameras or global positioning systems (GPS), to track where you go;
  • Drive by or hang out at your home, school, or work;
  • Threaten to hurt you, your family, friends, or pets;
  • Find out about you by using public records or online search services, hiring investigators, going through your garbage, or contacting friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers;
  • Posting information or spreading rumors about you on the Internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth, and;
  • Other actions that control, track, or frighten you.

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