From Victims to Suspects: The Bizarre Turn of Events in the Fernandez Family’s CyberStalking Case
In the world of cyberstalking, it’s not uncommon for victims to know their perpetrator. It could be an ex-partner, a disgruntled employee, or even an obsessed friend. But for Tanya and Rick Fernandez, the situation was much more complex. For the past three years, they’ve been the victims of a cyber stalker who claims to be the husband of their daughter’s doctor, a man they’ve never even met. The messages started benignly but quickly turned sadistic and threatening. Despite their efforts to report the harassment and seek help from the authorities, the Fernandez family faced disbelief and suspicion.
In this podcast episode, we’ll explore the mysterious case of the Fernandez family’s cyber stalker and how a simple IP address couldn’t provide all the answers.
Disclaimer: The following article is based on true events but uses a pseudonym for the individuals involved. The names “Claudia Rodriguez” and “David Rodriguez” are fictional names used in the PRETEND podcast. Additionally, an update regarding the case has emerged since the initial reporting. Tanya and Rick Fernandez have been charged with harassment and computer tampering as a result of this series. Their trial is scheduled for September 5, 2023.
Tracking down cyberstalker
When Rick and Tanya Fernandez received a series of threatening messages from a person claiming to be the husband of their daughter’s doctor, they immediately contacted the authorities. They hoped that the police would be able to track down the perpetrator and bring them to justice. However, things took a turn when the police decided to do a stakeout in an effort to catch the stalker in the act. Suddenly, the stalking stopped.
Almost three months went by without a single message being received. Then, on January 9th of the following year, the detective knocked on Tanya Fernandez’s door with disturbing news. After obtaining subpoenas for Instagram and Cox Communications, the internet service provider, the police had traced the IP addresses associated with the harassing messages back to the Fernandez’s own home. Both Instagram and Cox Communications confirmed that the messages had been sent from the same IP address registered to Tanya Fernandez.
IP Masking
The Fernandez family was shocked and confused. They couldn’t understand how the messages could be coming from their own home, and they suspected that the stalker had hacked into their system to make it look like they were coming from inside their house. But was it even possible for a hacker to do this? While we don’t have all the technical details, it’s clear that this wasn’t a typical cyber stalking scenario. In most cases, the perpetrator is someone known to the victim. But in this case, the identity of the stalker remains a mystery.
Despite the confusion and uncertainty, the Rodriguez family refused to give up. They decided to take matters into their own hands and confront the alleged stalker themselves. However, things didn’t go as planned.
The story of Rick and Tanya Fernandez is a reminder that while IP addresses can provide some clues, they don’t always tell the whole story. We know the messages were coming from inside the house, but who was pressing send?
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Detectives accuse Tanya Fernandez of being a cyberstalker- The Stalker part 1
Cyber Stalker Claiming to be the Doctor’s Husband | The Stalker part 2