Argonath | Spread of personal information | Are we safe in The World of its Own?

[Leon.]

Hello, my dearest comrades,

Not too long ago, I was a victim of having my personal information spread, in particular, my phone number. It was spread via Argonath Teamspeak, one of the few places on Argonath that has no chat logs at all. My phone number was spread there, and was then posted on 4chan, the place of crazed internet maniacs. I then received various text messages, calls, and voicemails, that contained messages such as "where u live," "how old r u," and "hey sexy." They later stopped the next day. And 10 minutes ago upon writing of this sentence, I received them again. I had hoped that they wouldn't come back, and saw that they probably won't over the following weeks. I was wrong. But the difference between this time and last time is that a) I received much more sexual harassing messages that could be directed at a female, b) I actually had one of the messagers help me out, and last but absolutely not least, c) I got a hold of the 4chan thread this time.

In the next paragraph(s), names have been changed to protect their identities. They are all members of Argonath.

Within a group, me and some very good friends of high ranks in that group posted their numbers on a thread restricted only to those high ranks in cases of emergencies. All phone numbers were confirmed to belong to those who said that they own those phone numbers. One day (the day on teamspeak), I called John while he was on teamspeak. He said his phone was ringing, and Billy asked who it was. John read the number out loud, and Billy kept it at heart. Billy thought it would be funny to post my number on 4chan, so he did it. And I got the calls. I had attempted to submit a report to the high ranks of Argonath regarding the incident, but unfortunately for me, I didn't have the 4chan thread (4chan is spammed to absolute high hell), Teamspeak wasn't logged (so the spread couldn't be confirmed), and my overall evidence is barely convicting. It was decided that the best solution was to call the police. Not wanting to make a really huge deal out of this (you know, officer coming over, asking for my parents, parents flip straight the hell out...), I was going to give a maximum of a week for the calls to stop before I called the police. Luckily for me, the calls stopped the next day. But it wasn't going to end there... just today, they started again. Only this time, the 4chan thread's poster posed as a (rather good looking) girl and posted my phone number, telling them to call it. I have no idea why it would suddenly be posted again, but the fact of the matter is, it was. Anyway, luckily for me, one of the people who text messaged me (who started out asking for my age) actually willingly gave me the exact thread link when I asked him to. It just goes to show at least some people choose to turn in the wrong direction to cross the right direction...

Now getting to the point...

Comrades, hear my message. You've probably heard this tons and tons of times from all sorts of people, but you've never heard it from an actual victim; one who can actually say the negatives of what will happen in a legit fashion, as they have experienced it before. You may have heard "DONT DO HEAROIN" from all of the doctors who have never done heroin themselves... they're pulling shit out of their ass. The heroin users themselves are 100% legit.
Now listen closely.
Please, for the sake of everybody you love, avoid posting ANY personal information at ALL. Even giving as little as your country can pinpoint you individually (while difficult). You never know when accidental cases are going to happen such as mine, where your phone number is unintentionally given out and abused by those who get it.
When your phone number is posted online on such a crazed site like that where all sorts of people lurk, you're in a real danger, especially if you're a female (or said to be a female by the poster). You'd be VERY surprised at what lengths some people will go to just to have sex. All for what reason? Your unique information pinpointed DIRECTLY to you and you only, thereby giving direct access to you.

And a message to those who find it funny to post phone numbers... yes, I know it can be funny to see him get those hilarious phone calls like "HEY WANNA HAVE SEX?!?" But PLEASE, all I can ask of you is to have some dignity, and some empathy of your victim, and please DO NOT do such things. The most I can say is that it will make your funny situation much more difficult, not only for the victim, but also for you.

We have some very, VERY, great people on Argonath. I'll even admit, there's some people I would actually like to meet in real life. But then again, there's some of those who are just completely not empathetical, stupidly arrogant, and utterly ignorant, who thinks it's always about them. Those people are the ones who seem like they have those friends when they team up with them, but in fact, they would throw them away in a split second.

I used to be high-security all the time, going as far as making my own fake identity for the internet. And if I ever were to not use a false identity, I would never, EVER, go beyond saying my first name (which is a very common name). For some reason, I've changed from too-much to too-little.

I will not be filing a lawsuit or calling the police on the 4chan poster, the phone number spreaders, or those who called me. To be honest, I am terrified of law authorities, despite the fact that I am a law abiding citizen. But either way, I am still also doing this out of generosity. As we speak, I will be cooperating with moot, the owner/creator of 4chan, and hopefully with the owners of Argonath in order to pinpoint who may have done this. I have a good idea who did it, but not enough proof to get him convicted. And maybe the thread I managed to find was posted by somebody else who saw the other thread with my phone number. So what, justice will be served.





Good day, ladies and gentlemen,
Leon Gvardia,
Your beloved, your enemy, your friend

[Frank_Hawk]

Argonath is a community which boasts over 7600 members from across the world representing a diverse cultural background combined with a rich heritage. We have a global reach which outweighs most multinational companies which is admirable yet poses some issues regarding the well being of our community. 

Argonath - a gateway for diverse, enriching global friendships
Argonath can be great way to chat to other people who share your interests, but you should always be careful not to pass on any of your personal details. You should always keep in mind that internet users can pretend to be anyone they like. They can lie about their age, their interests and whether they're male or female. No matter how long you've been chatting, remember that they're still strangers; you don't really know them at all. People can pretend to be your age. You simply don't know - nobody does.

(1) Argonath chatrooms (forums, in-game) and external communication (MSN, Skype, Facebook, Twitter etc):
When you're using MSN or posting on a message board in Argonath, never give out any personal information like your address or your phone number. You should always use a nickname, so no-one can look you up in a telephone directory and get your home phone number. It's usually not a good idea to arrange to meet up with someone that you've been chatting to online. Remember that you can never be sure that they're telling the truth about their age or their interests and you could be putting yourself in danger. If you do want to meet up with someone you've met online, make sure that you discuss it with your parents beforehand. If they do agree, make sure that you arrange a meeting in a public place and that you take an responsible adult with you.

(2) Cyber bulling (harrasement)
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying and can be defined as the use of information and communications technology, deliberately to upset someone else. It can be used to carry out all different types of bullying, such as racist bullying, homophobic bullying, or bullying related to special educational needs and disabilities. Instead of the perpetrator carrying out the bullying in person, they use technology as a means of conducting the bullying.

Cyberbullying occurs in many different places online, including through instant messaging, on social networking sites, via email, and in chat rooms. The most common place cyberbullying occurs is over instant messenger. It can sometimes feel quite difficult to escape cyberbullying as bullies can use technology to target you at home or on your mobile, even if they're not right there in the room with you.  For the cyberbully, there's the problem that once you send a bullying message or post something online, everyone can see it, and you can't take it back.  Many cyberbullies think that no one will be able to find out who they are, but that's not true.

A lot of young people cyberbully deliberately - they set out to target another user online. But it's important to remember that some cyberbullying is done for a laugh, a bit of a joke. It doesn't mean it hurts any less, but often people just don't think about the consequences of their actions. And there is growing evidence that many young people don't take being online that seriously and hide behind anonymous profiles. Even though cyberbullying cannot physically hurt you, it can still leave you feeling mentally vulnerable and very upset. You can also feel scared, lonely and stressed and that there's no way out. Escaping cyberbullying can be very difficult. Because anyone can get access to a mobile phone or the internet almost anywhere, it can be tough for those on the receiving end to avoid it, even in the safety of their own home. Whether you or someone you know is being bullied, make sure you tell Argonath representatives what's going on.

Argonath safety tips:
- Never give out your real name
- Never tell anyone where you go to school
- Only meet someone from a chatroom in a public place with one of your parents or another adult. If they are genuinely who they say they are they will be happy to do this
- Never give out your address or telephone number
- Never agree to meet anyone from a chatroom on your own
- Tell an adult if someone makes inappropriate suggestions to you or makes you feel uncomfortable online

Argonath danger signs
- If the person tries to insist on having your address or phone number
- If the person emails you pictures which make you feel uncomfortable and which you would not want to show to anyone else
- If the person wants to keep their chats with you secret
- If the person tells you that you will get into trouble if you tell an adult what has been going on
- If the person emails you pictures which make you feel uncomfortable and which you would not want to show to anyone else
- If the person wants you to email them pictures of yourself or use a webcam in a way which makes you feel uncomfortable
- If the person shares information with you and tells you not to tell anyone else about it
- If the person wants to meet you and tells you not to let anyone know

Reference: http://www.google.co.uk/familysafety/

[Leon.]

Which I have regretfully neglected, my good friend, Frank Hawk.

[Violet]

Leon Gvardia,
your friend

i like the idea jesse and not to be a pest but this was made awhile back but still good idea i support it




Your Friend
       Silver_Barzini

Just change your number ASAP...

[Frank_Hawk]

Looking at your original post, this seems to be a isolated incident to do with your mobile telephone?

If so, call your operator up and arrange for them to change your telephone number.

Whilst it may cause disruption, it's peace of mind looking forward.

[Rusty]

That totally blows, I feel sorry for you.
I wouldn't wish this on anyone to have random people from over the world phoning me and saying shit. 
Change your number ASAP.

[Leon.]

Just change your number ASAP...

I lol'd in my head.

[Ness]

Keel Billy?

[Flakattak_88]

srsly Leon, i cant imagine that happening to you, i imagined you as the poster of the number

[Caltson]

Luigi, never post any information about yourself on websites that grants acces to more people.
However, Argonath is not in any way responsible for this incident. As Frank shared the quote, it states that it is recommended to keep all personal details for your own.

The world of its own (Argonath) is a safe place, however we cannot prevent incidents like that if your personal information is unrevealed to other people.

As for your phone number, i think turning off your phone for a week will make things settle down. If you keep getting such messages over a longer time, contact your local police dept. for further actions to be taken.

Good luck,
Ryan Caltson

[Gandalf]

The best advice is to change your phone number. While initially there may heve been a mistake, once it is out there is no knowing who has it and how it will appear again.

As for any low-life who thinks such things are funny, find another community.

[Leon.]

As for any low-life who thinks such things are funny, find another community.

Amen, brother.

srsly Leon, i cant imagine that happening to you, i imagined you as the poster of the number

I've learned too much about dignity to do that.

[Nathan]

It's part of the reason why I never revealed my full name to anyone. Maybe a first name to close friends, but that's all. It's why I use my roleplay name for any registration to keep a firewall between my online life and my real one.

[Kenny.]

trust no1

[Sago]

Damn dude that sucks.. Get your phone number changed A.S.A.P