Have you ever recieved a death threat because of something you posted online

Question

How did you react? Can you tell the difference between a real and perceived threat? I only ask because I think people make too much of online harassment. Clearly, there are situations that would warrant panic, but I think they are few and far between.

Answer 1

Not on Yahoo because I have them blocked, but I used to get hundreds on other forums. They make me laugh.

Answer 2

Can't say that I have as of yet.  But then again, I haven't ever been harassed online either.  If someone says anything hateful, I simply pay no attention to what is said.  Any e-mails are deleted.  Or I block the person if they continue.  I never reveal too much about myself online, so I never have anything to worry about.

Answer 3

No not from online.

I have received a few in RL.

Well someone saying they intend on killing is pretty hard to mistake for anything else.

Warrent panic? lol. Never ever panic under that situation. Never. It would be like putting blood in the water when surrounded by sharks.

Yup few and far between is quite right.

Once when I was a young man had another young man say to me, something like - "it must be great to be someone like you, no one would ever pick on you". The only reply I had was something like - "well, sometimes I envy someone like you. I dont get problems like that often, but, when I do, I know chances are they know about me, and they are going to be a serious problem".

Answer 4

I haven't received a death threat but I simply answered this one user's question about a procedure she was going for and simply said that we routinely use Versed (a medication we use for conscious sedation) on a routine basis, and it's a great IV medication that's used everywhere and she took issue with the fact that I wasn't "aware" of that this is the "devil's drug" and how remiss I am in not recognizing that it's systematically destroying lives (when it's one of the better drugs that Big Pharm has introduced).  But she essentially sent me notes like 12 times daily for like a month where she threated to do all sorts of weird thing to have me somehow "investigated."  It was just a nuisance and laughable at first, but then it got really boring, but then I guess she forgot.

But she's an absolute head case, I mean she's made a point of seeking out surgeons who "may be willing" to do very invasive surgeries without any anesthesia.  I mean, if that's not the height of absurdity, I don't even know what is.

Generally, those who are intent upon going through with something don't bother with emailing someone about it, they just go through with it.  That's not to say that menacing emails shouldn't be investigated, but frankly, I don't think it's anything more than a petty attempt to menace another (for the most part).

Answer 5

Nothing here - but in other forums I have.  I pretty much just shrug it off.

People really overestimate this stuff.

Answer 6

o yeah some guy sent me a message saying if i dont forward it to 10 friends i will die. I brushed that off and played COD4 on live and got murdered omg its true

Answer 7

Years ago when I had been drinking and upset a few people.  These people were not the kind you want to offend so I was a little nervous...especially since they started digging for personal info on me.    

Answer 8

Oh yes I have recieved threats but I didn't take any of them seriously.

And frankly I would welcome a bunch of feminists coming to my house and making the attempt.

The worst I have received thus far from is some computer viruses sent to me by feminists so I simply bought a better virus scanner and so fat they haven't got any more through.

Answer 9

Yep..

I usually just ignore it or response back and give the sender my real address to see if he/she really have the gut to do it.

Answer 10

Sure, lots of times. But none of the senders knew my name or where I lived, so I didn't feel threatened.

Answer 11

haha, yeah, online poker, but its not really a big deal unless the person actually knows you

Answer 12

No. I don't give out my email address to just anyone so if there's a threat it's been only on the same forum I was posting on. Once I made a few remarks about the war on Iraq, and a few guys posting on the same forum told me that I should have been aborted, that I deserve to be violently raped, etc. Morons. I was shocked that anyone culd say something so callous and extreme over a differing opinion, but I didn't take it seriously.

Answer 13

I have, and I didn't take it seriously. Still, I suppose it depends on the situation.. we've all seen some pretty crazy stuff happen out there.

I agree that some people make too much of normal arguments online sometimes. I often come across people that complain about being "attacked" online when all it appears to be is a heated argument. Get some debating skills people...

Answer 14

mutters you naughty girl... causin mischief and such!

nope, never a death threat... but I did have a guy from Scotland tell me he was going to find where I live and kick my azz because I insulted his intellect... but first he would have to find me, then he would have to follow through with his threat, don't know which one would be harder for the bloke! Sincerity is lacking in most instances online, simply because they don't have to pay any repercussions for their words... I wouldn't sweat it babe!

Answer 15

No but if I did they would have a h**l of a time following thru with it. First they would actually have to locate me.  

Answer 16

In reality it makes no difference; most threats are mere posturing, and very few get carried out.

Answer 17

Yes, within about five days of posting on GWS. The guy said he'd rape and torture me too. Lol, I doubt it was real. I'm still alive anyway.

Edit

I kind of agree that people may make too much of online threats. However I also feel that any person making (actual) threats e.g. "I am going to track you down and ...." should expect no sympathy from the law. If they make a threat, then that is a threat, and they could expect to be tried under the laws of the land.

Answer 18

Yes and surprisingly it wasn't from a feminist, it was from an environmentalist. He was sending me private emails several times a day, but in the end he was full of sh*t.

I never allowed what he said to bother me and in fact I went on the offensive and turned it around on him. He stopped pestering me when I got his phone number and threatened to call his parents and send them all his emails. Her turned out to be a 15 year old boy, in California.

Answer 19

When I was on this website (something like Myspace), a werid stalker dude kept threatening to come over and rape and kill me. I reported him to the site dudes and I haven't heard from him since. I'm wasn't really afraid, just irritated.

Answer 20

Yes,  death threats and  rape threats. Especially from a guy who was very admired by the trolls. Other one used to send me pictures of dead horses, others used to insult me.

I made my mail private and maintained it like that for a long time. I felt these guys were trying to chase me away, but I stayed, until they got bored with me. Lately it seems is Tracey's turn. They use this as a tactic, so you leave.  

Some nice people in here, isn't it? ;-)

Answer 21

No, but that's probably only because I don't allow e-mail from other users.

Answer 22

No death threats here. My issue had been with the invasion of my privacy (which I'm sure most of us can agree is not something to take lightly).

As far as only verbal harassing goes, I think that you made a good point, oftentimes (not always) we do make too much of whatever comments others make of us or our views.

If I don't like what someone is expressing here, I simply ignore him/her and move on (even though I admit that some do become childish or monotonous after a while). But invasion of my privacy is another issue, which I take very seriously.

Answer 23

Making threats is immature.

Answer 24

A real threat won't be made to your face. That's more psychological intimidation or bullying and you'd have to be a bit naive or paranoid to take it seriously.

My ex girlfriend's, boyfriend's wife lol wrote to me a while ago to tell me that the two of them had advertised on a web site for thugs to help them sort out a dispute between myself and the ex, there are personal effects and a 6 figure sum of money involved, we have lived in four different jurisdictions together so neither if us have a legal leg to stand on.

Anyway, she gave me the sites address and sure enough there was the ad, (talk about stupid) apparantly they had made contact with someone and my address had been handed over, I placed my own ad and let every involved know that I knew and the threat disappeared. I was looking over my shoulder for a few weeks though.  

She should have just asked her aunty ann to sort it out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engla...

Answer 25

On multiple sites.

I ignored them, seeing as everyone is all talk most of the time and the rest of the time I could care less.

Answer 26

I haven't received death threats, but I have received threats of bodily harm and people wishing injury on me.  They've all come from this website too, from GWS.  I could probably get one of them in trouble with the law if I really wanted to.

Well, somebody did say they wish my mom had had an abortion once.  I guess that qualifies as a death threat.