Researchers surveyed over 250 volunteers between the ages of 15 and 75 and talked to the participants about harassment that occurs on social media networks, email and cell phones. Most of the victims that have endured online harassment were between the ages of 20 years old to 40 years old.
In most cases, less than 5 percent of victims were cyberstalked from a former significant other, where as the majority of cyberstalking occurred between complete strangers.
It`s a harrowing fact, but victims also told the researchers that these cyber stalkers used social networks (primarily Facebook) to harass and verbally assault them. 20 percent of victims have stated that they were traced through their social media profiles and only 4 percent of them said they were tracked on dating websites.
It`s important for everyone to know the potential dangers of cyberstalking and how it can be easily avoided. Never add someone to your friends list if you don`t know them. If you have mutual friends with the stranger, be sure to check who they are friends with first before adding them. Never engage in conversation with people you don`t know online and be sure to make your profile private. Most social networks don`t openly advertise their privacy settings and that is why it is vital to be aware of these settings and to set them immediately to your profile.