Mark Chapman is known for stalking and then assassinating John Lennon. Robert Bardo stalked and killed actress Rebecca Schaeffer. John Hinckley stalked Jodie Foster and tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Not all stalkers are killers. Jack Jordan stalked actress Uma Thurman, while David Ajemian targeted the late night talk show host Conan O'Brien and William Lepeska stalked Anna Kournikova.
But it's not only celebrities that are targets of stalkers. Any person can be a victim-including the wealthy.
The Wealthy As Targets
Stalking is a potential problem for anyone with substantial wealth. The wealthy, however, are generally not that concerned about stalkers. In a survey of 312 jet owners-each with a minimum net worth of $20 million and an average net worth of $59 million-only 6.1% were concerned about being stalked (Figure 1 below). A higher percentage, 16.3%, were worried that someone might stalk a loved one. About a quarter of respondents said they knew of someone who had a problem with stalkers or predators (Figure 2 below).
Generally speaking, this is not an issue the wealthy take seriously. The wealthy are not very inclined to worry about stalkers unless they personally experience problems or are fundamentally cautious or even paranoid. They tend to think it won't happen to them. Statistically speaking, they're probably correct.
But, that fact often belies the point: It pays to be prepared and to err on the side of caution.
What Is Stalking?
Stalking is when an individual is the recipient of extreme unwelcomed attention. Stalkers are often obsessive and develop irrational emotional connections to their targets. Their general objective is to force a personal relationship where one doesn't exist. Sometimes a relationship is present but it isn't at the intensity desired by the stalker. From a legal perspective, stalking tends to involve the observing, following and harassing of another person.
Physical stalking is following someone, appearing at a person's home or place of business, making harassing phone calls, leaving written messages or objects, or vandalizing the person's property. Cyber stalking involves using the Internet or other electronic means to harass. A January 2009 U.S. Department of Justice report estimated that 3.4 million Americans age 18 or older are victims of stalking. Moreover, 23% of stalking victims suffered some form of cyber stalking, and 6% suffered electronic monitoring through devices such as spyware, bugging or video surveillance.
Dealing With Stalkers
Dealing with stalkers generally involves a four-component process (see Figure 3 below).
The process tends to start with a situational assessment. Here, the goal is to develop an understanding of the stalker and the level of threat. There are generally four steps to the situational assessment:
Identify the stalker. The process of protecting the victim starts with specifying who the stalker is. While the vast majority of stalkers are cults of one, there are times when people share delusions and act on them together. It's clearly essential to determine who is involved.