[ad_1]
Warning: This article contains references to domestic abuse and stalking
As Melody* got off the bus, her heart stopped. Her ex was charging towards her, a smirk on their face.
The city centre street was eerily empty and she felt panic clench at her chest as Alex* bore down on her.
Melody gestures an arm’s length in front of her: how close Alex came before veering away. “They were intensely staring at me – it was like they knew what they were doing.”
It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Alex was making a habit of turning up in places Melody hadn’t told anyone she would be, miles from where they lived. “I thought I’d been microchipped – like a cat. How else would they know so much about me?”
Alex was “coercive and controlling” during their relationship, Melody says. They forced her to move cities, micromanaged her life – even making her leave the door open when she used the toilet – and controlled what she ate, what she wore, and who she saw.
After they broke up, Alex still made their presence felt by appearing unexpectedly. Not knowing how her ex was tracking her left Melody living in fear. She knew what Alex would do to keep her under control and she had seen them get aggressive.
“I’ve never felt so frightened in all my life. The way this goes according to my domestic abuse support workers is: the next step they will kill you.”
Her phone battery had been draining faster than usual; she wondered if that could be linked to the tracking.
A trip to a phone repair shop uncovered a hidden app called mSpy that was feeding everything on Melody’s phone – including her exact location – to a remote dashboard, accessible to the person who installed it.
There was no icon to show her it was there. No notification to let her know she was being monitored.
[ad_2]
