If someone is stalking you because of your content, treat it as a safety problem rather than a moderation one. Tell police early, keep a dated incident log, build a safety plan with a specialist service, and ask about a protection order: a personal safety intervention order in Victoria, an apprehended personal violence order in New South Wales, or a stalking protection order, which police seek, in England and Wales. Stop replying to the person, but keep everything they send.
When fan attention becomes stalking
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria's page on personal safety intervention orders describes stalking as behaviour intended to cause physical or mental harm, and its examples read like a creator's inbox: following or watching you at home, work or places you regularly visit, contacting you in any way, putting information about you online or pretending to be you online, tracking your use of the internet or email, and making you fear for someone else's safety. What separates stalking from an intense fan is the pattern. Watch for these signs:
- A new account appears each time you block the last one, often with a slightly altered name.
- Messages mention where you are, what you wore or who you were with, details you never posted.
- Gifts, letters or deliveries arrive at an address you never shared publicly.
- Contact spreads from you to your partner, family, workplace or creators you collaborate with.
- The person turns up at events, venues or places that appear in the background of your content.
- The tone swings from devotion to anger or demands whenever you go quiet or post with someone else.
- Your accounts show sign-ins you do not recognise, or location sharing you never switched on.
A single frightening message is a threat to triage, and our guide on what to do if a fan threatens you covers it. Repeated behaviour that makes you change how you live is stalking, and it deserves the steps below even if no single message sounds dangerous on its own.
Safety plan checklist
- Report to police early, before it feels serious enough, and ask for the event or report number so later incidents link to the first.
- Tell a small circle of trusted people what is happening and, if you have one, show them a photo or username so they can recognise the person.
- Vary routines that your content makes predictable, such as a regular gym session, café or walking route.
- Post location-revealing content after you have left, and pause live streams from places you return to; our streamer safety tips cover delay and on-screen privacy.
- Check your phone and accounts for unknown sign-ins, shared locations and linked devices, and ask a specialist service for help if you suspect tracking software.
- Make home harder to approach unannounced: agree who is expected to visit, keep doors locked, and decide in advance not to open up to anyone you were not expecting.
- Agree on a code word with the people closest to you that means “call police for me now”.
- Know where you would go if the person appeared: a police station, a staffed venue or a friend's home, with your phone charged.
- Speak to a specialist service about the level of risk, and plan with them rather than alone.
- Cut the information supply by working through our exposure audit and our guide to keeping your address off Australian registers.
Identity separation and file hygiene are covered in depth in our anonymous creator OPSEC guide, and they are worth revisiting once the immediate plan is in place.
Appearances, meet-ups and the moment they turn up
Public appearances are where online stalking most easily becomes physical, because creators announce them. While the behaviour continues, change how you handle them:
- Announce events late, or afterwards, and avoid posting exact arrival times or the entrance you will use.
- Give organisers a description or photo of the person, and ask for a named staff contact, a private exit and a policy of not confirming your attendance to callers.
- Arrange transport so you never walk alone to a car or station after an event, and vary the route home.
- If the person appears, do not engage or argue; move to a staffed area, call police, and note what they wore, who they were with and the time.
- Once you have an order, carry a copy and tell organisers and venues that it exists, so staff know a breach is a police matter.
Incident log template
SPARC, a US stalking resource centre funded by the Department of Justice, publishes a stalking documentation log that records the date and time, a description, the location including any technology or platform used, witnesses, evidence, and who you reported to with any badge or identification number. Its instructions add a warning worth taking seriously: do not write anything in the log you would not want the stalker to see, because it may be used as evidence or reach them later. Keep it somewhere the person cannot access, and think about whether they could get into your phone or computer.
| Column | What goes in it | Tip for creators |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | When it happened, as well as when you noticed it | Note your time zone when you travel, because platform timestamps follow the device |
| What happened | Plain facts, with messages quoted word for word | Describe rather than interpret: “sent a run of messages overnight” reads better than “obsessed” |
| Where | The physical place, or the platform, account name and link | Add the platform's user ID where you can see one, since handles change |
| Evidence | Screenshot and photo file names, call logs, items received | Keep gifts, cards and packaging rather than throwing them out in disgust |
| Witnesses | Names and contact details of anyone who saw it | Moderators who removed messages before you saw them are witnesses too |
| Reported to | The person or organisation, the date and any reference number | Platform report IDs belong here alongside police event numbers |
| Effect on you | What you changed because of it | A cancelled stream, a moved shoot or a night away from home shows the fear is real and reasonable |
Protection orders by jurisdiction
Orders have different names, tests and applicants depending on where you live and your relationship with the person. These are the main routes for creators being stalked by someone outside the family.
| Where you live | Order and who applies | What to know before you start | Official guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Personal safety intervention order, sought by you or by police on your behalf | The application asks for the respondent's name and address, and the registrar can direct the parties to mediation | Magistrates' Court of Victoria |
| New South Wales | Apprehended personal violence order, sought by police or privately through a Local Court registry | You must show you fear stalking, intimidation or violence and that the fear is reasonable; a failed private application can leave you paying the other side's costs | Legal Aid NSW |
| England and Wales | Stalking protection order, sought by police from a magistrates' court | No prior stalking conviction is needed, and police can apply even if there is no prosecution | Home Office statutory guidance |
| United States | Protective orders under state law, usually sought by you through a local court, often with an advocate's help | The types of order available, and who qualifies for them, differ between jurisdictions | Office for Victims of Crime |
In Victoria, the personal safety order is for people who are not family members; a current or former partner or relative falls under family violence orders instead. Legal Aid NSW notes that police must apply for an order where someone is stalking or intimidating you with the intention of causing fear of physical or mental harm, and must record their reasons if they decide not to. In England and Wales, the Home Office guidance tells investigating officers to consider an order at the start of every stalking investigation, including so-called stranger stalking, so it is reasonable to ask about one when you report. Other Australian states, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own orders, so ask your local court registry or police which one fits.
When you do not know who the stalker is
Online stalkers are often anonymous, and that collides with paperwork built around a named respondent. The Victorian application asks for the respondent's name and address, and Legal Aid NSW's guide to private AVO applications asks applicants to give as much as they can, including the person's full name, address and date of birth or approximate age. If you only have usernames, report to police anyway: they can make inquiries you cannot, and the Victorian court notes that police can apply for an order on your behalf. Keep every account identifier in your log, report each account to the platform, and resist the urge to unmask the person yourself, whether by messaging them, creating bait accounts or paying someone to dig. Those moves can escalate the behaviour, put you in contact with the person and muddy the evidence police need.
Where to get support
- Australia: call 000 in an emergency. If the person is a current or former partner or a family member, 1800RESPECT is the national counselling and support service on 1800 737 732, also reachable by text, chat or video call.
- United Kingdom: the Suzy Lamplugh Trust's National Stalking Helpline gives practical advice to anyone living in the UK on 0808 802 0300.
- United States: the Justice Department's stalking page says to call 911 if you are in immediate danger and to report stalking to local police, and points to SPARC for further resources.
- If fear is wearing you down, talk to someone; in Australia, Lifeline answers on 13 11 14, and our creator wellbeing guide lists longer-term options.
If the stalking started with your details being posted online, our doxxing response plan covers platform reports and search removal alongside these steps.
Limitations of this guide
This guide is general information drawn from official pages we read on 1 October 2026, not legal advice, and it cannot assess the risk in your situation; a specialist service or police can. Protection orders vary by state and country in who can apply, what must be proved, what conditions they can carry and what happens if they are breached, and an order is a tool rather than a guarantee of safety. Before applying privately, speak to a lawyer, a community legal centre or legal aid, particularly in New South Wales where costs can follow an unsuccessful application. If you are in danger at any point, call 000 in Australia, 999 in the UK or 911 in the US.