5 signs that will tell you if you are being stalked

Priyanka Mukherjee | Updated on: 11 February 2017, 5:47 IST

How many times have you joked about stalking that cute boy/girl on Facebook? How many times have you qualified to be the unpaid private investigator who has kept an extremely close watch on your ex's social media accounts just to see what has he been up to? The answer would be -- a gazillion times.

No matter how innocent the word, "stalking" sounds, it is not acceptable. Stalking is NOT normal. How can invading someone's privacy be considered normal? It is an actual problem.

Only the person subjected to the unwanted terror of someone following their every move and invading their private space would understand that it's definitely not funny. Identify the following signs and judge whether you have an overzealous admirer or a crazy psycho out to harm you:

The person is too clingy

Beat this. "I'm just checking to make sure you are Okay." Someone sends this message every day. Every hour. The person is constantly keeping a track of you. They just won't give up.

Movies have managed to make us believe that stalking is actually funny and romantic. Following every move and getting overtly protective? Romantic in movies, creepy AF in reality.

Unexpectedly bumping into someone too often?

Have you found someone lurking around your workplace and neighbourhood, especially when you get out? Feel like your being watching or someone is clicking pictures of you? If you recognize the same person even in a crowd, then yeah, chances are you have got yourself a stalker. Don't ignore it, report it.

Too. Many. Likes

We've all mastered the art of stalking on various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. However, it is a fact that the internet has made stalking very easy for individuals with the wrong intentions. You wake up in the morning and you have a pile of notifications from the same person. No matter what you post on your profile, the person will like it instantly. All most as if they were waiting for ANY kind of activity on your profile. If you think that if you ignore them, they'll crawl far, far away then you're wrong.

Repeated phone calls and messages

Feel that a person has suddenly started calling and messaging you way more often? Have they started keeping a track of you more than you desire? Smell the danger. You might believe that the person was only being worried but there's also a possibility that you might have joined the club of those being stalked.

Receiving unwanted attention

Sure, it is flattering when someone makes repeated attempts to woo you. But how much is too much? The embarrassment and distress you have to go through when you are forced to acknowledge the gifts in front of peers, even when you have no clue who sent them. That's when you would know that you just got yourself a stalker.

--Edited by Aishwarya Yerra

First published: 22 September 2016, 8:11 IST