Signs of Stalking
& Technology Abuse

Stalking is a repeated pattern of unwanted attention, contact, or monitoring that makes a person afraid for their safety or the safety of someone close to them. It can come from a current or former partner, someone you dated briefly, a coworker, an acquaintance, or a stranger. Much of it now happens through phones, apps, and online accounts. In Canada, stalking is a crime called criminal harassment.

This page covers in-person stalking, cyberstalking, and technology-facilitated abuse. If the person is a current or former partner, the signs of domestic abuse page describes related patterns of control.

Signs of Stalking

• Repeatedly following you, or showing up at your home, work, school, gym, or other places you go
• Waiting outside or watching your home or workplace
• Repeated calls, texts, messages, emails, or letters after you have asked them to stop
• Sending unwanted gifts or packages, or leaving items at your door or on your car
• Contacting your friends, family, coworkers, or children to get information about you or pass on messages
• Knowing where you have been or who you were with when you did not tell them
• Damaging your property, or entering your home or car without permission
• Threatening to hurt you, someone close to you, or a pet, or threatening to harm themselves if you do not respond
• Spreading rumours about you, or posting about you online
• Ordering services, opening accounts, or making complaints in your name

On its own, one incident on this list may seem minor. Stalking is about the pattern, and the fear it creates is a valid reason to take it seriously. Stalking by a former partner is especially concerning, because it can come before more serious violence after a separation.

Signs of Technology-Facilitated Abuse

• Checking your phone, demanding your passwords, or insisting on constant location sharing
• Installing monitoring apps, sometimes called stalkerware or spyware, on your phone or computer
• Hiding a GPS tracker or Bluetooth tag in your car, bag, or a child’s belongings
• Logging in to your email, social media, cloud storage, or banking without permission
• Using shared accounts, smart home devices, cameras, or a shared phone plan to watch or control you
• Creating new or fake accounts to contact you after being blocked
• Sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images of you without consent, including fake or AI-altered images
• Posting your address, workplace, or other private information online

Is Stalking a Crime in Canada?

Yes. Under section 264 of the Criminal Code, criminal harassment includes repeatedly following someone, repeatedly communicating with them directly or indirectly, watching their home or workplace, or threatening them or their family, when this causes them to reasonably fear for their safety or the safety of someone they know. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison. Repeated online contact can count as communicating.

In BC, if the person is a family member or a current or former partner, you may be able to apply for a protection order under the Family Law Act. In other situations, police can apply for a peace bond. Legal Aid BC and victim services workers can help you understand your options.

If someone has shared or threatened to share an intimate image of you, BC’s Intimate Images Protection Act lets you apply to the Civil Resolution Tribunal for an order to stop the sharing or have the image taken down. The law covers real, fake, and altered images, including deepfakes. The Intimate Images Protection Service offers free support with this process at 1-833-688-4381.

What to Do If You Are Being Stalked

• Trust your sense that something is wrong. You do not need to wait for violence before taking it seriously.
• Tell trusted people at home, work, and school, so they can watch for the person and avoid sharing your information.
• Keep a log of every incident with the date, time, place, what happened, and any witnesses. Save texts, voicemails, call logs, emails, and screenshots that show dates.
• Avoid responding, negotiating, or meeting to “get closure,” since contact often encourages more contact. If you have clearly told the person to stop once, that is enough.
• Vary your routines and routes where you can, and know where you would go if followed, such as a police station or a busy public place.
• Report to police, especially if there are threats, property damage, or the person keeps showing up where you are. Bring your log.
• Contact VictimLinkBC for help with safety planning, even if you are not ready to report.

The escape and safety planning page has more on making a safety plan, including emergency contacts and an escape kit.

Checking Your Devices and Accounts

If you think someone is monitoring you, use a safer device, such as a trusted friend’s phone or a library computer, to research and plan. When it is safe, consider these steps:

• Review location sharing in your phone settings, map apps, photo apps, and social media
• Check which devices are signed in to your email, cloud, and social media accounts, and sign out any you do not recognize
• Change passwords from a safe device and turn on two-step verification
• Look for unfamiliar apps, device management profiles, or unusual battery drain or data use
• Pay attention to alerts about an unknown tracker moving with you, which many phones now show
• Remove the person from shared phone plans, cloud family groups, and smart home apps

Removing monitoring can alert the person that you know about it, which may increase risk. If possible, plan the timing with a victim services worker. Tech Safe BC has detailed guides on technology safety for survivors.

Common Questions About Stalking and Technology Abuse

What is the difference between stalking and harassment?

In everyday language, harassment can be a single unwanted act, while stalking is a repeated pattern that creates fear. In Canadian law, stalking falls under criminal harassment, which involves repeated or threatening conduct that causes a person to reasonably fear for their safety or the safety of someone they know.

Is cyberstalking a crime in Canada?

Yes. Repeated unwanted messages, monitoring, threats, or contact through new or fake accounts can be criminal harassment if they cause someone to reasonably fear for their safety. Sharing intimate images without consent is also a separate criminal offence.

How can I tell if there is a tracker or spyware on my phone?

Warning signs include someone knowing things they should not, unfamiliar apps or device profiles, unusual battery drain or data use, and alerts about an unknown tracker travelling with you. Check from a safe device first, and use the Tech Safe BC guides or a victim services worker to help you decide what to do, since removing spyware can alert the person.

Should I confront the person who is stalking me?

It is usually safer not to. One clear request to stop, if you have not already made one, is enough. After that, avoid contact, keep records, and let police or victim services help. Meeting in person can increase the risk.

What evidence should I keep if I am being stalked?

Keep a dated log of each incident, and save messages, voicemails, call logs, emails, social media posts, screenshots, photos of any damage, and the names of witnesses. Back everything up somewhere the person cannot access.

Can an ex-partner be charged with stalking?

Yes. Criminal harassment applies whether or not you were in a relationship with the person. Stalking by a former partner is common and is taken seriously, because it can come before more serious violence.

What can I do in BC if someone threatens to share my intimate images?

You can contact the Intimate Images Protection Service at 1-833-688-4381 for free support, and apply to the Civil Resolution Tribunal for an order to stop the sharing or remove the images. The law covers threats as well as real, fake, or altered images. You can also report to police.

Can being stalked affect my mental health?

Yes. Living with ongoing fear can lead to anxiety, hypervigilance, poor sleep, and trauma symptoms. These are normal responses to a threatening situation. The psychological impact of abuse page explains more, and therapy can help.

Last reviewed: October 2026