My friend was acting kind of stupid online, he plays online games all the time but this time he did it in a place that could cost him, so I am trying to get him information.

You know playing online games lots of cussing and threats going around especially for the team losing like on SC2. Well this time he did it with someone trying to sell him something on craigslist. He didn't really start the flaming going back and forth but ended up threatening the person by emailing him an IP address he just made up and telling the person he had a gun. I know stupid right, I already smacked him on the head so you don't need to ask.

Anyways I am studying at law school so I am well aware it is illegal to threaten in california when it is substantial. Having the person who said their father is a copy he is now worried. Trying to tell him to relax and that since it was just a childish thing nothing would really happen even if his father was a cop and he wasn't just doing childish online lying. Would like a couple replies stating your opinion basically on whether or not he is screwed or not to reassure him of what is going to happen.

If you want me to smack him on the head again let me know

Threatening people over the Internet is illegal in the United States. The crime of Threat by Instrument of Interstate Commerce is punishable by up to five years in prison. Conviction of this crime can also result in up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.00.

So if this person he threatened truly feels in fear for their lives...they can file charges and your friend could be in serious trouble, even if he was joking. I'd slap him if he were my friend too. Tell him he should make better decisions before he says/does something he'll regret...not only in this situation but in general.

Yeah, nothing will happen of it most likely, hope the cops don't come after he is x army special forces and wouldn't go quietly but I read what he wrote and it seemed to be written in a way where he can't get in trouble. Something like let me show you my gun collection. Its been a day now, I think if the cops where called yesterday they would have visited him by now.

It depends if the guy takes the threat seriously. If he does, he could get in some trouble. If not then he should be fine. Smack him hard on the head again. He could probably use it XD

i wouldnt worry to much about it...especially since its not like a continuous stream of death threats being sent. My advice would be to leave the guy alone, and act like it never happened. i highly doubt anything serious would come out of this situation.

I would say not to freak out about it. Tell him to definitely not talk to that other guy anymore. If flaming led to talk about guns, then another chat might not end well either.

Don't think that the delay means you're 100% safe. Getting someone's actual IP is easier than you think. I couldn't do it, but I know it's not hard. If the cops are looking into this, they would ignore the fake IP and find the real one rather quickly. With the real one, they could monitor your activity for as long as they pleased. If they think you are untrustworthy, then they will probably continue to monitor until they believe you are legitimately threatening to the public. If they want to prosecute, they would gain nothing from just rushing in. They're more likely to win in the long run if they have more against you.

I'm not trying to freak you out. That is just how it works in today's legal system. You don't have to stop your life. Just be careful with what you do online and on your computer.


This is really something everyone should assume. Your IP is easy to attain and once it is, it is easy to use for monitoring by police. Always act as if you are being watched because there's a chance that you are. Just be smart.