As threat assessment professionals we operate in a world of low-probability/high-impact events. In our most serious cases, we are dealing with angry, unstable, and potentially violent individuals harboring a grievance. A highly likely outcome of our work on these cases is either the termination of employment of the subject or their arrest/incarceration or involuntary hospitalization. The stakes are high for them. What is the risk to us as threat assessors? While infrequent, there have been cases where a subject refocuses their attention and grievance on the threat assessor. This could lead to an aggrieved subject to begin online harassment, doxing or even physically stalking a threat assessor in some of the more extreme cases. What protections do we have as threat assessors?
A Cautionary Tale
I recently reconnected with a long-lost Navy buddy and after a series of emails, we agreed to a phone call in the very near future. A few days later my phone rang showing a Florida area code, my former shipmate’s home. I answered the call but instead of my buddy, it was a female caller who in a highly emotional and most likely manic state immediately began speaking rapid-fire sentences. She knew my name and she knew I had previously been in the FBI stating, “I know you’re retired now but you’re the only person that can help me.” She launched into a breathless, convoluted, and improbable story of how her elderly mother had been kidnapped by unknown “evil forces” who drained her bank account and squandered any inheritance that was due. Throughout her extended rant, many key details of the story changed, and when questioned on discrepancies she simply changed the subject and began explaining another marginally related tangent to the core story. She said she reported this on many occasions to her local Police Department and the local FBI office to no avail. The caller stated, “As soon as I saw you on that TV show I knew you were the only person who could help me.” She referenced a true crime show that had recently aired an episode profiling a serial killer/child abduction case that I had worked almost 20 years ago.
I immediately had flashbacks to my time as a rookie FBI agent assigned to complaint duty where fielding such calls from distraught and sometimes mentally disturbed members of the public would fill an entire day. I also knew that the problem with callers like this is once they have your name and a phone number they become like gum on the bottom of your shoe. No matter how many times you refer them to resources or tell them that there’s nothing you can do to solve their problems they continue to call you.
I asked the caller how she was able to get my phone number. This was puzzling to me since she called my personal cell phone number and I’m usually very careful with it. She initially ignored the question, but I persisted and finally, she told me that after viewing the episode profiling our case, she called the production company responsible for the episode and said, “One of the nice men there gave me your phone number.”
It all became clear now. My work with the production company came at a time when I was traveling frequently. I typically use a dedicated phone number for business but this time I was having technical difficulties with this service and for the sake of expediency and due to my carelessness, I used my personal cell phone for calls and text messages with the production staff. I can only assume that some well-meaning but naive individual at the production company gave this woman my phone number thinking I could help her.
When she realized I would not help her the caller became agitated and said, “I should just come visit you so I could explain everything, then you will get it and help me.” She asked why I had a phone number with an Idaho area code if I was living in Washington. She knew the name of my business and asked which city I was living in. She also spoke about several other FBI cases I had been involved in and quoted details from news articles. She also referred to other articles discussing my post-FBI career with a regional health system. These were not newsworthy cases; they were simply reported as filler in a small rural Idaho newspaper next to stories about the County Fair and the latest Rotary Club meeting. It was apparent that she had done a great deal of internet research to find these articles.
When the caller finally ran out of breath, I was able to speak for more than a few moments. I told her that I was retired, and I did not do any type of investigative work. When I told her she should probably consult with an attorney or a local private investigator she told me she had done so on several occasions, and they all thought she was crazy. I wished her luck and was able to end the phone call. I immediately blocked her number.
Out of a mixture of genuine concern and curiosity I reached out to her local police department as well as the FBI office covering that territory. It turns out she was well-known to both agencies. Each had investigated her complaints over several years and found them to be without merit and quite delusional.
What Have I Learned from this Experience?
Although not directly related to my work in threat assessment, this episode caused me to reexamine my own security and privacy protection practices and got me thinking about the risk to threat assessment professionals. Threat assessors working for corporations, governmental agencies, or other large organizations can protect their privacy by using dedicated work phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and physical addresses. This offers a decent level of insulation between personal and professional matters. In the digital age that we live in those personal and professional boundaries can be blurred leading to an erosion of anonymity, privacy, and protection.
Here are some of my key takeaways:
- Use a dedicated phone number for business and be disciplined about it.
- Keep personal and business social media profiles separate.
- Check your “Digital Exhaust” regularly. What does your Internet footprint look like?
Use a dedicated phone number for business.
Most smartphones now support a dual SIM card or eSIM capability, allowing two separate phone lines to work within one device. There are also Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) providers that can provide a second phone number. It is also very easy to change one of these numbers if you start receiving problematic calls. It is much simpler to provide your contacts with a new number than to change the number that you use for family, friends, kid’s schools, doctor’s offices, and all other forms of personal administrative minutia. You will also be able to easily distinguish work calls from personal calls and allow yourself some form of work-life balance. When your business and personal phone numbers are the same, it’s impossible to turn one off without turning off the other. Once you have such a number set up, be disciplined, and use it consistently. I learned the hard way.
If you are active on social media keep personal and business profiles separate.
Social media has become a major part of life today for us both personally and professionally. We use social media to connect with friends and family, but we also use social media to highlight our professional achievements.
Be cautious and strategic in your business social media posts and minimize any personally identifiable information that could lead an individual to your personal social media sites. Do your business social media posts inadvertently disclose personal information about you or family members? Can your residence be identified in these posts?
Check your Digital Exhaust.
Google yourself. What does your digital footprint look like? What information about you is online and does it link back to family or your residence? Internet anonymizing services are available, but I have found it difficult to remove information once it is out there.
What If a Subject Refocuses on a Threat Assessor?
If the threat assessor becomes a potential target that assessor should no longer have an active role in the case. A new threat assessor should be designated to take the lead on this case. The targeted assessor should still be involved in the case since they may have unique and detailed knowledge but should not make investigative decisions.
A vulnerability assessment should be completed regarding the targeted assessor and their family. Consider physical security measures such as alarm systems and enhanced exterior lighting. Contact local law enforcement, inform them of the threat, and request extra patrols of the area.
If there is sufficient evidence of threatening behavior obtain a restraining or protective order that includes not only the workplace but the residence and family members of the targeted assessor.
So how did it all end with my mystery caller?
I did block her number, but she continued to call and as of the writing of this article we are well into double digits for attempted calls. I doubt she will travel from Florida to find me. I did change my personal cell phone number and went through the tedious process of notifying all of those who need to have this new number while updating my profile on countless personal accounts and websites. I’ve recommitted myself to a disciplined approach to my business communications.
