Harassment raid
In plain terms
Hundreds of accounts target you within a few hours, following a call put out somewhere else. Each one thinks they only sent one message; you receive thousands.
Definition
A harassment raid is a coordinated attack in which a large number of accounts target the same person simultaneously, following a public call-out made on another platform.
How it works
The raid starts somewhere other than where it hits: a post names a target on a forum, a chat server, or a channel, often presenting them as deserving a response. The influx that follows is massive and concentrated over a few hours, which overwhelms moderation and reporting tools — they're built to handle isolated messages, not thousands at once. The dispersal of the participants is the core of the method: each one can claim to have written only a single message, while the effect on the target is that of continuous harassment. A raid is frequently preceded by doxxing, which supplies the personal information, and sometimes by mass reporting intended to get the victim's own account suspended.
Warning signs
- A sudden, massive surge of notifications within minutes
- Hostile messages repeating the same wording or the same reference
- Recently created accounts, with no history, acting in a synchronized way
- Your personal information appearing in the messages received
- Mass reporting leading to a restriction on your own account
How to verify
Look for the original post: it's rarely on the platform where you're being targeted, and identifying it is what allows the coordination to be established. Archive it along with a representative sample of the messages, with identifiers and timestamps.
What to do
Immediately switch the account to restricted mode and turn off notifications: reading them adds nothing and worsens the impact. Hand off the evidence collection to someone you trust rather than doing it yourself — it's more sustainable, and just as valid. Don't reply to any message: any reply gets picked up and recirculated.
If it already happened
File a police report covering both the original post and a documented sample of the messages: French law covers the case of repetition resulting from multiple people acting in a coordinated way. Report the original post to the platform hosting it, since that's what feeds the flow. The dedicated online harassment helpline (3018 in France) supports victims and has direct contacts with platforms.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I respond to set the record straight?
- No. Every reply gets extracted, reframed, and recirculated, which prolongs the raid instead of ending it. Staying silent during the episode isn't an admission of anything: it's the only way to avoid supplying new material.
- My account was suspended following mass reporting.
- That's a misuse of the reporting system, and it can be contested. Use the platform's appeal procedure to explain the raid context, and attach evidence showing the coordination: these appeals regularly succeed.
Related attacks
Official sources
Also known as: pile-on harassment, digital raid, brigading, coordinated harassment.
This article is part of the Blackmail, harassment and personal harm family. Last updated: 2026-09-02.