United States
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Happening right now · 5 minute read
Your real life posted for strangers.
Your name, address, or workplace posted for strangers to see. Here's what to do in the first hour, and after. Doxxing means publishing someone's private identifying info - real name, address, phone, workplace, family - without consent, usually to enable harassment or intimidation. In gaming spaces it often follows a dispute, a stream, or a leaked voice - someone gets angry and "goes looking."
If you are in immediate danger, stop reading and call your local emergency number now - 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK and Ireland, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, or 112 across most of Europe.
In the first hour
- Screenshot everything before it gets taken down - the post, the account, timestamps. You'll need this for reports.
- Report it on the platform it was posted to; most have a specific doxxing/personal-information policy, separate from general harassment.
- Lock down your accounts - change passwords, turn on two-factor, and check whether other accounts share the same username or reused info.
- Tell people in your life who might get contacted - family, employer, close friends - so a stranger reaching out doesn't blindside them too.
After the first hour
- Consider a security freeze on your credit files so a stranger with your name and address can't open anything in your name.
- Check people-search / data-broker sites and request removal - a lot of what gets used to dox someone was sitting on a public broker site the whole time.
- Decide on your exposure going forward - tighter privacy settings, a new number, or something more depending on how serious the threat feels.
If it escalates
If the posts include threats, your address paired with "someone should," or any sign someone might show up in person, that's no longer just harassment - contact your local police non-emergency line and keep every screenshot. Trust that instinct; you don't need to wait for something to happen first.
Real help, wherever you are
Help where you live
Services and numbers change over time. If one of these is wrong or missing for your country, telling us is worth more than anything else on this page.
Canada
Credit-card disputes and consumer rights are split between federal and provincial rules. Report fraud to your financial institution and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
United Kingdom
Card purchases may have chargeback or statutory protection depending on how and how much you paid. Report fraud to your bank and the UK's official fraud-reporting route.
Australia
Use card or platform protections and report scams to your bank and Scamwatch. Do not send money by gift card, crypto, or transfer to an unverified seller.
New Zealand
Use protected payment options, keep evidence, and report online scams through Netsafe, your bank, and Police where appropriate.
Ireland
Card and consumer protections come from Irish and EU rules. Contact your bank quickly after fraud and report scams to Gardaí where appropriate.
Worldwide
Payment-dispute and identity-theft protections differ by country. Use a protected payment method, keep receipts, and follow your national cyber-safety agency after fraud.
Common questions
The questions people actually ask
What is doxxing?
Publishing someone's private identifying information - real name, home address, workplace, phone number, school - so that strangers can find and harass them. The posting itself is the attack, and everything that follows is the point of it.
What do I do first?
Screenshot the post before it disappears, report it to the platform, and tell the people at your address or workplace what is happening so a stranger showing up is not a surprise. Then start locking down the accounts that leaked the details.
Can I get my information taken down?
Often. Most major platforms ban posting private information outright, so a report citing that rule tends to move faster than a general abuse report. Data-broker sites that carry your address usually have their own opt-out process.
Should I respond to the people harassing me?
No. Attention is the payment, and arguing extends the event. Document, report, mute, and let the people who care about you handle the parts that need handling.
Should I call the police?
Worth doing if there are threats attached, if your address is out, or if it escalates to anything showing up at your home. Bring your screenshots, and ask them to note the doxxing on file in case of a fake emergency call to your address.
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