Someone keeps following or messaging me
Repeated following, watching or unwanted contact can be stalking and can become dangerous. Record the pattern, reduce predictable access and seek help without having to warn or confront the person first.
On this page
What this situation can include
- A pattern may include waiting outside home, work or class; following on foot or vehicle; repeated calls from new numbers; unwanted gifts; monitoring friends; creating fake accounts; tracking location; or appearing wherever you go.
- One direct boundary can help show contact is unwanted, but you do not have to send a warning if doing so feels unsafe. Blocking is a tool, not a duty, and may shift contact to new accounts.
- The person may be an ex-partner, colleague, neighbour, customer, family acquaintance or stranger. A prior relationship does not create a right to continued access.
What this may mean
Legal assessment looks at repetition, following or monitoring, attempts to foster personal interaction, the indication of disinterest, online conduct, threats and surrounding facts. A screenshot by itself may not show the whole pattern; a dated log can connect events.
If the person is or was in a domestic relationship, protection orders under the Domestic Violence Act may also be relevant. Workplace or campus safety duties can apply even before a criminal case is decided.
Your routine should not have to shrink indefinitely. Short-term route changes may improve safety while institutions take responsibility for access control and response.
If safety may be urgent
- If you are being followed now, go to a staffed, well-lit place rather than directly home. Call someone you trust and 112 if danger is immediate.
- Tell home, workplace, school or security staff not to disclose your schedule, phone number, room or address. Share a photograph or vehicle details only with people who need them for safety.
- Check location sharing, linked devices, ride history and social posts from a safer device; sudden changes may alert the person, so coordinate them with your plan.
Possible next steps
Create a pattern log
Record dates, times, places, accounts, numbers, vehicle details, witnesses and what you did. Save original messages, call logs, voicemails, envelopes and CCTV-request details in a protected location.
Set a communication rule
If safe, send one unambiguous message such as ‘Do not contact or follow me again,’ then stop engaging. If any response may escalate danger, preserve the messages and seek help without replying.
Report through the relevant route
You may approach police for suspected stalking, threats or restraint; use the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal for relevant online conduct; and notify a workplace or college about on-site access and retaliation risks.
What may happen after seeking help or reporting
- Police may review the pattern, record information, identify applicable offences and seek digital, witness or CCTV evidence. Ask for the complaint or diary reference provided to you.
- A workplace or college can change access permissions, escorts, schedules or reporting lines as a safety measure; it should not automatically remove the targeted person from work or education.
- Online platforms may preserve, restrict or remove accounts under their processes, but platform action is not a substitute for emergency help.
Important limits and cautions
- Not every unwanted message is legally stalking; frequency, persistence, disinterest and surrounding conduct matter. Threats or impersonation can be assessed separately.
- Do not arrange a private meeting to obtain an admission. Evidence collection should never expose you to more contact.
- Account blocking, number changes and route changes can reduce access but cannot guarantee safety; keep institutional and offline planning in place.
Words a supporter can use
If someone says they are being followed or repeatedly contacted
“I take this pattern seriously. You do not have to confront them. Are they nearby or able to reach your home, work or college today? I can help keep a log, travel with you, tell security only what is needed, or accompany you to report.”
What institutions must do
Assess the whole pattern
- Consider connected offline and online events rather than dismissing each incident in isolation.
- Respond urgently to threats, restraint, forced entry or escalating access.
Control access without excluding the targeted student
- Protect schedules and contact details, brief relevant security staff and provide a confidential reporting contact.
Address work-related access and retaliation
- Do not disclose shifts or personal details; consider escorts, parking, reception alerts and reporting-line changes based on risk.
Related issue guides
Sources and publication record
Reviewed and approved by the project team · Sources checked . Reviewed and approved by the project team against the official sources listed on this page. This is general information, not advice for an individual case.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023India Code, Legislative Department
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023India Code, Legislative Department
- Information Technology Act, 2000India Code, Legislative Department
- National Cyber Crime Reporting PortalIndian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005India Code, Legislative Department
- Emergency Response Support System 112Ministry of Home Affairs