It took 8 Months of Investigation, But Man Is Arrested for Cyber-bullying
It involved 38 alleged victims across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Investigation took 8 months and involved law enforcement agencies in B.C. Ontario, New Brunswick, Halifax, the State of Michigan and in the U.K., Hertfordshire and London.
Robert Campbell, (42) of Ottawa, Canada, now faces;
- 27 counts of criminal harassment.
- 85 counts of defamation libel.
- 69 counts of identity fraud.
A victim said that Campbell posted fake, defamatory social media profiles for him, his daughter, and his mother. He worried that his children would be hindered in applying for school because of the fake profiles.
The posting of profiles and social media pages impersonating others, is considered identity fraud.
Ottawa police found that Campbell used proxy IP addresses in conducting the crimes. The police used investigative techniques to identify him. A search warrant was executed Thursday at the suspect’s home in Ottawa’s west-end Britannia Park neighborhood and three computers were seized.
Campbell used multiple aliases in the alleged attacks against men, women, and their families.
“This had a very severe personal impact on our victims — not only personally, but also professionally,” said Carl Cartright, Ottawa police Acting Inspector.
As we see by this story, it takes some time for investigators to get all 
the information and counts together, but they accomplish their mission.
Some members of law enforcement must be educated in the use of proxy IP addresses by those who perpetrate cyber-crimes. Most website hosting companies for proxy IP addresses are helpful.
The website hosting companies for two major proxy IP address websites used by cyber-extortioners to access this blog, Hide My Ass and Anonymouse, were very cooperative and helpful providing information and preserving the evidence. That in fact, when the process began to track the originators of the comments, we knew the names of the hosting companies, but not the names of the websites they used. That’s because the IP addresses always trace to the website hosting companies.
Proxy IP address websites require the input of the URL for the site the user wants to access on the internet. When entering that URL and clicking to continue through a proxy IP address, the user’s IP address assigned to them by their internet service provider is obtained by the website and/or their hosting company.
To say it another way, the proxy IP address might hide the individual’s IP address assigned to them by their internet service provider, but it doesn’t hide the originating IP address from the proxy IP website and/or their hosting company.
While an individual or company might own the proxy IP address website, the files and programs for the sites are on server computers of the hosting company. Some of those websites advertise that they do not record the IP address using their service. However, their website might be hosted by a company that does.
Some committing cyber crimes by using proxy IP addresses might assume that if they use a site located in another country, that it gives them further protection from being identified and prosecuted. However, the location of the website is not indicative for where it is hosted.
The owner of one of the main proxy IP address websites used by cyber-harassers is in the U.K., but it is hosted by a website hosting company located in Chicago, Illinois. A most recent proxy IP address was accessed through a website located in Missouri, hosted by a company in Ohio, where the originating IP address was traced to Troy, Michigan to Comcast. Therefore, investigations can begin with the actual internet service provider, or the hosting company for the proxy IP address website.
Once law enforcement gets involved, it’s only a matter of time before perpetrators are identified. At times, their activity is monitored. The more they do, they generate more counts of charges.
Click here for a video reporting charges against Robert Campbell.
Posted on 08/01/2014, in Cyber Abuse and tagged cyber harassment, cyber-stalkers, identity theft, Ottawa, proxy IP addresses, Robert Campbell. Bookmark the permalink. 38 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
Does this mean you will be rid of that monster that’s been harassing you? I sure hope so!
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Jackie,
As the old folks used to say, they don’t think that fat meat is greasy. After 21 months of collecting evidence, I told those in authority to proceed because if we waited until they stopped, they would be waiting forever. The final option I had was to change this blog so only those with Word Press accounts can submit comments. Interestingly, that also stopped 99 percent of the spam too.
The bold extortioner has his own problems right now. An article is pending by one of his victims to tell how it started and what the courts have decided.
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If I were there I’d give you a big hug! I hope he is thoroughly punished and banned from owning any computers or being online in any manner. What a mean sort he is. God bless you, Xena, I hope you rest well from here on out. The face that he worked internationally, maybe the punishment will be more severe.
Wow! ❤
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Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat™.
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Jueseppi! Hey dear friend. Thanks for the reblog. Hope you have a fantastic weekend.
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I am going to attempt to do just that, have a fantastic weekend, you do the same and it’s always good to see you.
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Thanks for posting this news, Xena. LE in Canada has done a great job!
I believe that it is time for other cyber extortionists and harassers to start shaking in their boots.
Are they that naive to think they can go on and on forever in their evil without having to answer for their dark deeds??
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What they think is that they cannot be identified and if the sheriff or cops don’t knock on their door the day after they have harassed, that they are not being monitored and there won’t be consequences.
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I found this excerpt from the article link in your post interesting. Seems unusual for his wife not to give her name even though she had already identified herself to the reporter as his wife:
Also at the courthouse Friday morning, a woman who identified herself as Campbell’s wife — but refused to give her name — told CBC she was shocked by the charges.
She said she was “surviving” the news and that she didn’t know what her husband was up to online.
She also said she hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with Campbell since his arrest on Thursday.
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Reblogged this on Kev's Blog and commented:
There have been several incidents of bullying within my on-line community. This post shows what can happen even to the most devious bullies.
The message is clear: You will be caught. You will be charged. You will pay.
Don’t fuck with us!
I’ve also added this link and the original news link to my anti-bullying page.
(Kev’s Blog is a 0-tolerance to Bullying blog)
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Kev, I checked out your blog.
You are doing great things!
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Thanks. Very kind of you to say so. 🙂
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Kev,
Thanks for the reblog. Your comment is the proverbial “mouth-full” — and I totally agree.
I’m currently working on a report by request of law enforcement on proxy IP address websites. In the course of dealing with cyber-extortionists/harassers here, and because of their activity, at least two of those websites were suspended by their hosting companies who said they did not allow their clients to have those sites.
Dream Host will not host proxy IP address websites. Hooray for them!
GoDaddy has been reported to the Arizona Attorney General because they do not have policies and procedures for dealing with abuse through websites that they host. Personally, I found their staff to be totally incompetent.
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Thanks! I try. 😉
Sounds very complicated. I’ll keep an eye out for your posts.
That’s Arizona for ya! 😀
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Kev,
It sounds complicated when explaining how sites are made available on the internet. Once that is understood, the rest is gravy. 🙂
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Sounds similar to most things then. 🙂
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I commend you, Xena.
You have brought together a diverse, caring community through the creation of your blog here, and you have stood strong against the harassers and extortionists who threaten and demean you in their attempt to shut your blog down.
You wrote above
” After 21 months of collecting evidence, I told those in authority to proceed because if we waited until they stopped, they would be waiting forever.
The final option I had was to change this blog so only those with Word Press accounts can submit comments. Interestingly, that also stopped 99 percent of the spam too.”
Not only have you kept Blackbutterfly7 going strong, you have also shown and modeled for other blog administrators what actions can be taken to deal with harassers. Perhaps the day will come when those who shut down their blogs or have taken a break WILL return actively to running their blogs again. I so admire what all of them did advocating for Trayvon.
There is so much to be done as all of us shine the light on problems within our country and the world.
I so admire all of you in our community and all of the blog owners who follow here who refuse to remain silent. Much good will come through your efforts….just educating the public is an accomplishment because “Knowledge is Power!”
On the page before this one, 2dogsonly called attention to a comment posted by Whonoze on his blog. While his complete comment needs to be read….I would like to quote excerpts from it that I think are relevant here:
“I submit we owe something to Trayvon Martin, all the rest of the people who have been wronged that we can remember, and all of them who were forgotten before we were born. A debt we must continue to honor in days to come. A debt that can never be repaid in full.
“No matter how worn down we get, as long as some nub of humanity remains, I submit our debt obliges us to find SOMETHING that really matters, and to demand truth again, demand meaning again, demand justice again.
“I submit we must make those demands over and over, not just in spite of knowing we can’t expect them to be met, but BECAUSE we know we can’t expect them to be met. Maybe things will always be that way. Maybe. But they surely won’t change if we stay silent.
“I submit we must weather all the stings and denials and continue to raise our voices because we owe it to the living, and to the not-yet-born as much as the dead. And I submit that, in the end, the people we owe it to the most are ourselves.”
Thank you, Whonoze, for your words encouraging us to continue to move forward in our push against the wrongs that we see.
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Well this is good news! And it should certainly give others pause for thought!
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Xena: Please check your e-mail… Thanks
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Mothman, DONE! 🙂
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How many more must die before we admit as a nation we have a problem? Can we somehow justify the slaughter of our children to keep our guns? The blood of this child is on all of our hands, we are the society that “needs” guns to cure our insecurity and paranoia about things that we have very little control over. I truly wish the NRA would use the dues that they collect from their members to at least cover the funeral costs of each and every child that dies from the use of a gun… Not one thousand more, not one hundred more, not even one more should have to die to give you the thrill of owning a gun… NOT ONE MORE!!
http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/3-year-old-girl-killed-in-philadelphia-shooting
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Mothman,
It’s a shame. The article did say that two by-standers in addition to the 3 year old were shot. That means that the by-standers are possibly able to identify the shooter. I wonder if Philadelphia has conceal carry and self-defense and if so, if the “person of interest” is claiming that, which is why no arrest has been made?
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They have found and made an arrest.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/26177999/3-injured-child-killed-in-shooting
PA. has both open and concealed carry, and self defense laws. From his charges it looks like he did not own the gun legally and has been charged with Violations of the Uniform Firearms Act. Even if he claims self defense the self defense laws in PA., it is written into the law that a victim only acts lawfully under self defense if he owns the gun lawfully, and has no duty to retreat in that circumstance.
PA. also has Castle Doctrine which has been amended. But, PA. unlike some other States has numerous laws that allow someone to act lawfully in self defense without needing to use deadly force, and many legal inclusions for lawful self defense during certain crimes which occur in public. Such as car jackings, rape, physical attacks etc. which do not require retreat.
For this reason there was intense debate on the new amendments which took place in 2011.
The amendment removed the ability for those who were shot (or their families from suing. Believe it or not injured burglars had sued many a homeowner for dog bites, to other injuries sustained during a burglary even w/the Castle Doctrine, including surviving a gunshot). The amendment also extended self defense & no duty to retreat in public places, including one´s vehicle.
The self defense law in PA. also has exclusions that protect against use of self defense claims or illegal use of force.
Briefly put, PA. self defense law is not like Florida´s SYG, but PA. does allow no retreat in if in the home, and in limited circumstances in public where one is not required to retreat.
In this case this gentleman hit innocent bystanders. Possessed a firearm illegally, and killed a child. I doubt a PA. jury will have mercy on him and his testing the new law.
Here is the law.
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2011&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0040&mobile_choice=suppress
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Murphy,
Thanks so much for that information. Also, happy to hear there has been an arrest. If I were the perp, forget the jury. He shot a person in the head who is in critical condition, wounded two others, and killed a 3-year old.
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Xena, sorry about being so late to respond, and I’m glad MurphysSpork gave you the updated information. I must confess that most of these deaths are starting to cause me a lot of stress and grief knowing that these children are being slaughtered needlessly and with total disregard… The advocates for increasing the supply of guns seem to not realize what is happening due to their demand for the right to own a pretty little instrument of destruction (aka: gun)… I wonder if they will ever realize that this child’s right to live should have had priority over their right to own that prized weapon…
http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/man-charged-in-3-year-olds-shooting-death
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Crustyolemothman,
I advocate safe gun control, and own guns. I understand your concerns. Other gun owner´s do too. You just won´t hear them talk about it out loud as much. We are usually discriminated against from both sides. Most of us have guns for various reasons. Not just self defense. It would be irresponsible of me to tell you what I have. But, be assured they are all legal with registration and permit if required. They are stored safely.
If you are making comment from those advocates we are most familiar with please be aware: 1. that they either are not gunowners 2. they are in countries which regulate and they wish to own guns 3. Chose not to own guns and lack the responsibility 4. Or are the worst extremists like those at Ruby Ridge, Branch Davidian´s, Timonthy McVeigh, etc. who are already on radar and made life suck for the rest of us who believe their actions would result in a social revolution/war. 5. Just have an opinion on white people killing black people. 6. All or partial of the above.
I have noticed you have made comment on illegal gun owners who have commited crimes. There are those as well. They are not shielded under any self defense laws in any state in the US. It is a Federal law that all guns are registered. Handguns require a background check in every state. This means no matter what state you live in the gun must be owned legally to carry, possess and transport.
Some states have even extended the laws of possession of the Fed. mandates. For instance in PA. if anyone was ever involintarily commited to a mental ward they can never legally own a gun legally, unless they seek a reprieval. Other states allow a 5-10 year layover. Some none.
I feel Florida and the Zimmerman case (and the verdict) may have unessessarily concerned the public to self defense laws in other States which by far have not had any issue in precedence. Not that the verdict was just, or that TM deserved death, but the interpretation and the public image of justifiable use of deadly force has been corrupted.
There is need for self defense laws. If that is the debate, I am confident there are examples I can provide. My issue is with irresponsible LEGAL gun use, and legislative interference in precedence in what is branded legal.
As far as agenda.
The opposite has happened from these types of people in American society though. They are doing nothing more than killing the freedoms for everyone including what they desire to establish for victims. Their own irrational fears and willful dissent against reasonable social changes is now “harassment.” What I see from any one irrational idiot, or group of idiots is more restrictions, reliance on more groups which are like mini goverments, while the moderates sit by the way side.
As usual I failed to use spellcheck. It is about as revolting as I chose to be when it comes to a social revolution besides not being able to shut my trap 😉 I mean that mothman not to devalue your thoughts but I hope you see that just because people kill the messenger, does not mean they kill the message. I heard you loud and clear! 🙂
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MurphysSpork……Couple of corrections to your statement.
It is not a Federal law to register most firearms, Federal registration is only on a handful of firearms like machine guns, it does not cover the most common type of handguns/rifles/shotguns.
Background checks have a loophole in purchasing a gun. You only go through a background check when you purchase the firearm through a Licensed firearm dealer. If you purchase the firearm through a gun show or privately then there is no background check done. Also I can purchase a firearm and gift it to someone….I go through the background check if I purchased it through a licensed gun dealer but the receiver of the gift does not.
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I should have been more clear. I have personal opinion on what the background checks are.
While this is not technically the same as registering a gun, it is a record of the purchase.
Some states do require all guns to be registered.But you are right it is not a federal law. Thanks for correcting that.
Again though, not a Fed. law, some States do require background checks for personal sales if it is a hangun. Some require them in a personal sale for all guns, and some gun show venders do have policy regardless of State law. Most States have no regulation on those types of private sales. Here is a map.
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/gun-show-firearms-bankground-checks-state-laws-map.html
I can´t go over every States law for what is required for a private transfer, because some are more restrictive than Fed. law. Fed. law states ” A person may sell a firearm to an unlicensed resident of his State, if he does not know or have reasonable cause to believe the person is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law. ”
Oregon & Nevada are States w/o private seller laws but they promote background checks. In those states a transferor who receives notification that the transferee is eligible to complete the transfer is immune from civil liability for any use of the firearm after the time of transfer. I feel that is a reasonable first step to promoting safe private sales.
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So am I!
Good on you for posting.
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Kanzen, welcome to Blackbutterfly7. Thanks for your comment.
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The likes, comments, and visits to this page convey a powerful message. Cyber-harassment is not only a problem, but it is against the law in many states and countries.
We will not stand idle and silent but use all options to report these violations of law, and pass along knowledge for doing so.
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For our sake I hope a certain someone who is using this arrest(Ms. Nosey) as a means to scare other victims whom never utilized these proxies (but has allowed promotion) is willing to hand over all she got on other´s she followed who she is aware uses them to harass and exploit other innocent victims as far back SD´s blog.
As far as I remember she followed every parody which stole my blog content. My username, created a war room in my honor, lead harassers to my kids chruch/schools, & updated those she knew harassed me , and tried to connect my family to a suicide and crimes.
I would say Det. Carter should contact me!
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Murphy,
What cyber-harassers should learn from this report is that proxy IP addresses might be like masks, but they still leave fingerprints behind.
Their ignorance is almost laughable.
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Recortadores. That is how I envision this. 😉
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Xena,
I looked at area 51b.
I heard it yesterday and thought of you & L.H. yesterday!
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I love that song! 🙂
Who is L.H.?
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Lionheartress1
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Murphy,
Thanks. I still haven’t learned or adjusted to twitter-speak. 🙂
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