posted on January 20, 2001 09:52:26 AM
Hi, This may be a little off topic, but here goes. I have someone who has been harassing me over a trade a year or so ago, no need to go into the details lets just say I disagree with how she interpreted the terms of the deal. Anyway since that time period Said person has been relentlessly harrasing me, emails every day phonecalls and now she has discovered that my ebayid and my email is the same "yes i know....stupid....stupid...) and has been contacting my bidders warning them away from my auctions!
I also do selling/trading in a lot of other forums and have been harassed there.
I really don't have the resources to sue her but I am looking for some ideas to thwart her here. Iv'e tried doing that "tosspam" thing everytime she emails me to no avail, I also emailed safeharbour abvout the auction interference and was told they can do nothing since she isn't a registerd user......I don't know how she is getting my bidders emails then. I have offered several times numerous deals to fix up our original deal and she is really unreasonable in all her replies and just demands a certain amount of cash to fix up the deal. I consider it extortion and blackmail but what can I do? any ideas guys?
posted on January 20, 2001 10:08:37 AM
call the police where she lives, tell them she is harassing you and attempting to extort money. If they pay her a visit I bet she will calm down right quick.
posted on January 20, 2001 10:09:56 AM
If she is demanding cash, and you are able to document that and her active campaign against you, ask your local prosecutor if they after reviewing the facts they would support you to file charges of extortion against this person.
posted on January 20, 2001 10:12:56 AM
You could also check the internet for the police department where she resides to see if there is an email address to write. Write an email to the police chief and cc it to her. I would also copy and paste the email from her into the email to the police. Maybe that will help?!
Kaffro
posted on January 20, 2001 10:14:32 AM
I would contact first your local law enforcement or state attorney's office. Then try at the federal level. If you know an attorney perhaps simply a stern letter of "cease and desist" would do the trick. If she was doing this over the phone it would be easier, or maybe not since with e-mail you have dates and times etc. Not knowing what terms she offered for settlement I don't know if it qualifies for extortion or blackmail, but she may be doing this to other people. She must have been a registered user at one time or she could not have purchased from you. There may be other sellers trying to deal with this woman. I would gather all my info together and start calling. She obviously has access to an Ebay account so changing your e-mail won't help.
posted on January 20, 2001 10:31:38 AM
"Said person has been relentlessly harrasing me, emails every day phonecalls" -
"contacting my bidders warning them away from my auctions!" -
"demands a certain amount of cash to fix up the deal "
Based on what you've said and without knowing any facts beyond this post it may seem like extortion and harrassment.
The least you can do is to contact the persons ISP, send them copies of the email. No legitimate ISP will tolerate abuses through their servers. Also contact your phone company. Harrassment over the phone is a big no no. Perhaps change your user id on eBay and your email acounts. (mine are also the same - now I am worried!)
On the extreme end, if it is serious enough and only you can decide that: ie. making demands for money that are not related to any contractual agreement; causing you real fear and anxiety that the person is dangerous; causing you to suffer a noticeable loss of business directly related to these activities etc., then the most you can do is to Contact a lawyer for advice and then the police, explaining the situation with some evidence in hand. You may be able to file a restraining order. The police in our area are very serious about internet crime.
Whatever you do don't give in to any attempts at extortion (that quickly escalates into repeated demands for money) and do not reply or engage in any dialogue with said person.
posted on January 20, 2001 07:21:37 PM
You don't need money ... you have weapons you didn't think about:
"Said person has been relentlessly harrasing me, emails every day"
Send her ONE polite letter asking her to STOP emailiong you. Make sure you CC it to her ISP's abuse department. From then on, FORWARD all emails from her to HER ISP, with a note rem,inding them that you have asked her to cease, and ask them to make her stop.
DO NOT reply to ANY emails after hyou tell her to stop.
"phonecalls"
Harassment by phone: call your phone company and ask them how to report a phone harasser. Generally they have to set up some sort of logging device.
SAME RULES: All you can say to her is "PLEASE DO NOT CALL ME ANY MORE", and hang up - don't discuss anything, and don't fight back. She'll probably go balisstic and call even more often and cuss you out, which is GOOD. Keep repeating the mantra of "please don't call me again" and hang up. Log the date and time of the calls (leave a notebook AND accurate clock by EVERY phone), and note anything that is said. With a few days worth, you should have enough for you AND the phone company to go to the cops and charge her with harrassment.
"has been contacting my bidders warning them away from my auctions! "
Create a new seller ID REAL FAST! All it takes is a Hotmail account and a CC.
"I really don't have the resources to sue her but I am looking for some ideas to thwart her here. "
Don't worry about "thwarting" ... her actions will probably lose her her ISP account and get her busted for harassment by phone ... is that OK?
posted on January 21, 2001 12:47:31 AM
If you haven't already, in avery email this person send to you, get her originating IP address (go to the view all headers option in preferences).
Then do a whois on any number of sites; www.samspade.org for one. Plug in her IP address and get her ISP.
Copy all the info and email this person and notify them that you will contact their ISP every time they interfere with your life on the internet. She is most likely violating the TOS of her ISP.
Also, do as another poster suggested. Contact both your and her State's Attorney General and local law enforcement.
If you give in, she's already won. So DON'T. Take a proactive stance on your protection.
You should also be aware that this person might never let down on contacting your bidders. Your only option is to open up a second eBay account.
Good luck.
If you give in, she's already won. So DON'T. Take a proactive stance on your protection.
You should also be aware that this person might never let down on contacting your bidders. Your only option is to open up a second eBay account.
posted on January 21, 2001 07:04:41 AM
We had a similar problem. Finally turned the matter over to the FBI's Philadelphia Regional Office Computer Crimes Unit, and copied it all to the person's internet e-mail provider. That was the end of it. They vanished. Got a nice letter from the provider also, which surprised me.
posted on January 21, 2001 10:54:59 AM
In the general case, a contract dispute, taking persistent action to enforce one's view of the contract is not "extortion".
One is limited by criminal law as to what kinds of action one can take to effect such enforcement, but unless one crosses such a criminal line, say by physical threat, one can persist forever.
In particular, contacting bidders and providing "evidence of bad faith behavior by a seller", assuming the evidence was not false, would remain legal forever more. That is, it is legal to contact all bidders on a seller's auctions and tell a truthful story, and to persist in this forever.
It might make sense to just settle and move on.
If the disgruntled buyer has not engaged in any criminal behavior, the alternatives, to sue buyer, or obtain an injunction ordering the cesation of the behavior, might be available, but often cost far more than just settling.
... is that OK?
Rocker