Creepy, All-Knowing Watchers

[GNC]

Long article here on a rare phenomenon I thought deserved a thread:
Article from The Cut

Basically, it's the extended surveillance by sinister individuals story, and that one's from this decade. Somewhere ages ago here I typed out the postcards story, where a man would for years receive postcards from someone unknown from all over the world, detailing what the recipient had been up to recently, all signed with the symbol of Leslie Charteris' character The Saint. Then there was the 1990s family in the US who got messages over their cable TV service from someone unknown who was watching them and making threats to them, seemingly because they could see what they were doing.

No culprits in any of these cases were ever found, as far as I know. Anyone heard of any others?

 

[AnonyJ]

Nice find!

I have nothing useful to add, but it's a fascinating phenomenon.

Edit: your link leads to an article about the rock (non)band Threatin https://news.avclub.com/not-even-the-members-of-threatin-realized-that-their-ba-1830420149

 

[GNC]

Oh, yeah, always helps if you don't mess up the address!
Correct article!

Thanks for pointing that out. It's a long read, but FT mag-worthy.

 

[Ringo]

Just read the whole thing. Creepy AF! Still, 20 years or so should solve the problem naturally.

 

[markrkingston1]

Just read the whole thing. Creepy AF! Still, 20 years or so should solve the problem naturally.

Just what I was thinking. But 20 years is a long time to wait.

I'd hate to find myself in the family's position but, that said, I might enjoy trying to out The Watcher by provoking them repeatedly.

 

[markrkingston1]

Oh, I meant to mention: $100,000 property taxes for how long? Was that just two and a half years they'd owned the house? I must admit that I didn't follow the timeline very carefully.

How much are property taxes in a neighbourhood like that? That seems like an extortionate amount of money for local taxes.

 

[Kingsize Wombat]

Just was going to post that here myself - well worth reading!

Although - the Broaduses sometimes do come across as a bit prickish:

When Maria found herself in a spin class at the YMCA with the head of the planning board, she went up afterward and told him, “You continue to hurt my family every day.”

That sort of thing rarely helps. Not to mention Derek's confession at the end.