If someone is threatening you online, the sequence that protects you is simple: document the threat, report it to the platform, and report it to law enforcement. Do those in that order, because threatening messages, accounts, and profiles can disappear the moment the sender realizes you might act. If you believe you are in immediate danger, call 911 first.
Document Everything Before You Report
Evidence is the most important thing in your control, and it is also the most fragile. People delete messages, deactivate accounts, and scrub profiles. Platforms remove content. Once that happens, a screenshot you never took becomes a gap no one can fill. Capture everything before you block, respond, or report.
Screenshots and Screen Recordings
Take screenshots of every threatening message, post, or comment. Capture the full screen so the date, time, URL, and the sender’s username are visible in one image. For long message threads or profile pages, use your browser’s “print to PDF” function or a full-page capture extension to create one continuous record rather than a patchwork of cropped images. If the threat came in a video, voice message, or livestream, use a screen recording tool to preserve it in its original format.
For stronger evidence, a forensic web-capture tool can attach a timestamp and a digital fingerprint (a hash value) to each capture, making it much harder to argue the file was altered. Free options exist, but a basic screenshot is far better than nothing.
Save the Sender’s Profile
Screenshot the sender’s profile page, including their username, display name, profile photo, bio, and any location or personal details they have posted. Copy the direct URL to the profile. If you have had prior conversations with this person, capture those too. Context showing that a threat was unprovoked or part of an escalating pattern strengthens a report considerably.
Preserve Email Headers
If the threat arrived by email, the message headers contain technical routing data that can help investigators trace its origin. Headers include a chain of “Received:” lines showing the servers the email passed through, often with IP addresses. Every major email provider has an option to view full headers, usually under a “show original” or “view source” menu. Save the complete headers as a text file alongside the email itself.
Keep It Organized
Create a dedicated folder for the incident. For each item, note when the threat was sent, when you captured it, the platform involved, and a brief description. Store copies on an external drive or cloud backup so you don’t lose everything if your device is compromised. Print hard copies of the most critical items. This organized file is what you’ll hand to the platform and to law enforcement.
Report the Threat to the Platform
After documenting everything, report the threat directly to the service where it happened. Nearly every social media site, messaging app, gaming platform, and forum prohibits threats of violence in its terms of service. Reporting can get the content removed and the sender’s account suspended or banned.
Look for a “report” button on the specific message, post, or profile, usually behind a three-dot menu or a small flag icon. Choose “threats of violence” or the closest option. Most forms include a text box for a brief summary. Keep it factual: what was said, when, and why it made you fear for your safety.
Ask About Data Preservation
This step is often overlooked and it matters. Platforms routinely delete account data after a user is banned or deactivates. If law enforcement later needs the sender’s account information, IP logs, or message history, that data may be gone. Under federal law, a provider must preserve a user’s records for 90 days when a government entity requests it, and that period can be extended for another 90 days.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 2703 – Required Disclosure of Customer Communications or Records You cannot compel preservation yourself, but you can raise it when you file your police report. Officers experienced with cybercrime know to send a preservation request to the platform so the evidence stays intact while the investigation proceeds.
Report to Local Law Enforcement
For any threat that makes you fear for your physical safety, contact your local police or sheriff’s department. Call the non-emergency line to file a report. If the threat is immediate and you believe harm is imminent, call 911.
Bring your organized evidence folder when you file. Screenshots, URLs, usernames, and a chronological log save time and show the officer you have done the groundwork. Be specific about what was said and why it scared you. If the threat referenced your home address, workplace, daily routine, or family members, put those details in the report. Specificity is what separates a threat that gets investigated from one that gets filed and forgotten.
Filing a police report creates an official record. Even if the department does not open an immediate investigation, that record establishes a documented timeline if the behavior escalates, and it can support a future protective order or federal complaint.
If Local Police Don’t Take It Seriously
Some departments lack training on online crimes, and some officers treat digital threats as less real than in-person ones. If your report is being brushed aside, ask to speak with a supervisor or with a detective who handles cybercrime or stalking cases. Many larger departments have dedicated units. You can also contact your state attorney general’s office; most have a cybercrime division that investigates technology-related offenses, including cyberstalking and online threats. If none of those paths gain traction, going to federal authorities is a legitimate next step.
Report to the FBI Through IC3
When the person threatening you is in another state, or when local police do not act, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is where to file. IC3 is the central intake point for crimes committed through the internet.2Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Home Page Anyone affected by a cyber-enabled crime can file a complaint, and you can also file on behalf of someone else.3Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions
The complaint form asks for your contact information, details about the person who threatened you, and a written description capped at 3,500 characters.4Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Complaint Form You do not upload evidence at filing, but have it ready in case investigators follow up. Trained analysts review complaints and forward them to the appropriate federal, state, or local agency for possible investigation.3Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Frequently Asked Questions
Be honest with yourself about the timeline. IC3 receives an enormous volume of complaints, and not every one becomes an active investigation. Filing still matters, because your report feeds pattern data the FBI uses to identify repeat offenders and prioritize cases.
What Actually Counts as a Criminal Threat
Not every hostile or disturbing message is a criminal threat, and knowing where the line sits helps you frame your report. Vague rudeness or generalized anger usually will not meet the standard. Specific, directed language about harming you or someone close to you is what investigators and prosecutors look for. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court held that prosecutors must show the speaker consciously ignored a real risk that their words would be understood as threatening violence.5Supreme Court of the United States. Counterman v. Colorado
Two federal statutes cover most online threats. Under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), it is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, to transmit a threat to kidnap or injure someone using any channel of interstate communication, including the internet.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 875 – Interstate Communications The federal cyberstalking law, 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, covers using an online service or electronic communication system in a course of conduct that places someone in reasonable fear of serious injury or death, or that causes substantial emotional distress.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2261A – Stalking A single message can trigger § 875(c); § 2261A generally requires repeated behavior over time. Every state also has its own harassment or stalking statutes, many explicitly covering electronic communications, and local police typically use those.
Consider a Civil Protection Order
Criminal charges are not the only path. You can also seek a civil protection order, sometimes called a restraining order or order of protection, through your local court. These orders can prohibit the person from contacting you by any means, including online.
Courts generally look for evidence of repeated threatening or harassing conduct and a likelihood of harm without the order. The documentation you already compiled does the heavy lifting. A log showing escalating threats over time is more persuasive than a single screenshot. Filing fees vary by jurisdiction, and many states waive them entirely in stalking and harassment cases. If you do not know the real identity of the person threatening you, courts allow lawsuits against unknown “John Doe” defendants, and an attorney can then subpoena the platform for the account holder’s identifying information.
Protect Yourself While the Reports Move
Someone who threatens you may also try to dig up personal information about you. Reduce your exposure while the platform and police work through their processes.
Lock Down Your Accounts
Set social media profiles to the strictest privacy settings available. Restrict who can see your posts, friends list, and profile details. Turn off tagging from other users, since tagged posts and photos can reveal your location. Review connected apps and revoke access to any you don’t actively use. Change passwords from a device you’re confident hasn’t been compromised, and turn on two-factor authentication everywhere it’s offered.
Block or Mute — Your Call
Whether to block the person is a judgment call. Blocking cuts off their access to you and provides immediate relief, but you won’t see if they escalate or post additional threats, and some people respond by creating new accounts. Muting hides the messages from your view while still receiving them, which preserves potential evidence. There’s no universally right answer. Weigh how severe the threat feels and whether law enforcement has asked you to keep the channel open for monitoring.
Clean Up People-Search Sites
People-search websites aggregate public records and make your home address, phone number, and family connections easily searchable. Search your own name and submit opt-out requests to any site that has your information. Some companies control multiple data broker sites and offer a single suppression request that covers all of them. Information can reappear as brokers acquire new data, so check back every few months.
What Happens After You File
Your reports set two separate processes in motion, and they move at very different speeds.
Platforms act relatively quickly. Depending on severity, threatening content may come down within hours or days, and the account may be suspended or permanently banned. You’ll usually get a notification about the outcome, though platforms rarely share specifics about actions against other users. A ban does not stop the person from creating a new account. If they return under a different name, report the new account and add the incident to your evidence log.
Criminal investigations take time. A detective may contact you for more details, and the case can involve forensic analysis of the digital evidence, work to identify the person behind an anonymous account, and subpoenas to platforms for account records. Whether a case moves forward depends on the quality of your evidence, whether the suspect can be identified and located, and prosecutorial discretion. Even when a case does not end in prosecution, your report creates a documented record. If the person threatens you again or targets someone else, that record makes the next investigation stronger.