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Have a question about how to delete digital drama from your life? You can submit questions to be answered by trained experts by sending an email to QandA@athinline.org. We will not be able to post an answer to every individual question, but we will answer the most common, so check back often.

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QUESTION

I confronted a friend about an issue we were having offline, and she had her boyfriend start texting me threatening messages saying how they were gonna come to my house and beat me up. I ignored them all and took them as empty threats. After I ignored them was when all the rumors and lies started going all around. MySpace posts were going up and had an overflowing response against me.

I keep getting tons of MySpace messages and text messages that are death threats from these people. I tried to be the bigger person and ignore the death threats, but the more I ignore them, the more violent the threats are getting.

At this point I really feel down on myself and don’t know how to stand up for myself to these people anymore without egging them on. I've already blocked them and done every logical step but nothing seems to stop all of this. I really don't know what to do anymore.

ANSWER

If someone is making threats of bodily harm, do not take this issue on yourself. Threats of bodily harm have to be reported to the police right away. They may not be real- but who knows? It’s not a risk you want to take. While you may be hesitant to call the police, they can provide you with the help you need. You can click here to for help in calling the police.

Be sure that you save the MySpace posts, and also print them out for the police. The police can contact MySpace and ask them for the proof of who sent them. Make sure you let the police know that they should ask MySpace to preserve the data before taking anything down

This information is provided by Parry Aftab, Executive Director of WiredSafety.org & Stopcyberbullying.org

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