This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vanessa Voss, a 42-year-old business owner living in Tacoma, Washington. Business Insider has verified her identity and recent harassment. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
Last year, we purchased a Cybertruck for solely business purposes.
It has our logo and branding on it, along with my photo on the front. We also have a Silverado and a Jeep Cherokee that is wrapped in my logo. It just made sense then to buy a vehicle that allowed further marketing and advertising for our business.
I’m the owner of Voss Insurance Group, an agency that helps people navigate retirement and transition to Medicare. We don’t work for the federal government but we facilitate enrolling people in prescription drug coverage, Medicare supplements, and Medicare Advantage.
Part of what my agency does is do a lot of branding and advertising related to the enrollment and Medicare process by offering free guidance and local services.
The purchase was made before people set Cybertrucks on fire or took strong political stances on Tesla. The edges of the vehicle are flat and it allows for enough description and visual components to increase our branding.
As of two weeks ago, we have been harassed online, over the phone, and via email for having a Cybertruck.
Now, me and my business are under attack
The very first phone call that I received was from a gentleman saying that he was going to kill me.
The blocked caller also told me that I am a Nazi, cussed me out, and said I should kill myself. That day, I received a total of 12 phone calls, some of which were blocked and others that weren’t.
I filed a police report over the phone after the initial death threat. I tried to report every number that called and we are still documenting calls and voicemails. There’s not a lot the police can do as far as harassment unless someone shows up at our home or at our business and becomes violent. A police sergeant I’m friendly with recommended that I keep the Cybertruck in my garage until things subside though.
The calls have continued, although they’ve died down a little since that first weekend. The callers leave voicemails saying I should be embarrassed, that we need to take the trash out, and that I’m going to need a warranty because something is going to happen to it.
They even posted a picture of my vehicle in the driveway of my residence on Reddit so that people could further attack us on social media.
We also received three really terrible Google reviews and two on Yelp. We spent hours trying to get them removed and eventually were able to.
Most of the calls are directed at me, but some of my employees have also experienced harassment. One of my agents was speaking to someone who originally seemed interested in buying insurance and then started sending replies to her emails that were very vulgar.
We received a call this week from a gentleman who threatened to spread the word about my business negatively to the community. He was treated with professionalism but we did have to hang up on him for tying up our phone lines.
I believe it’s a coordinated attempt since different people have been calling. They all communicate similarly, saying things like, “We’ll tell everyone” or “We’ll spread the word about you.”
I hired a self-defense instructor to come to my office
I don’t feel like I’m at the point where I am scared for my life, but I am certainly taking precautions to protect my staff. We are an office of four women and our building rests right on a busy street.
Soon after the harassment began, I paid $436 for a two-hour self-defense session. The instructor is scheduled to come to my office to teach my staff self-defense tactics in the event that the situation becomes violent, or if people physically show up here at my office or at my home. The session will focus on a number of methods including verbal de-escalation, active shooter and intruder response training, and escape from common holds.
My employees are a little uneasy. I work really hard to give them a really safe environment and make them feel welcome, but we can’t control what society does. We had a conversation about protecting ourselves in the office and leaving before it’s dark. We also made sure to tint the windows in the Cybertruck so people can’t physically see us, although my husband is the one who drives it.
I feel disheartened
I am very disheartened by the fact that people think it’s okay to attack any individual.
Under no circumstance is it okay to harass an individual. I don’t think that these people really understand the role we play in helping people with Medicare and retirement. They’re just assuming that we’re adding to what’s going on from a political stance.
If Social Security or Medicare were to dissolve, I would be the first out of a job. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to support one way or the other. I just want to help people with Medicare and make sure that people who are retired have some peace of mind.
We all have opportunities and careers, but that doesn’t mean we agree with everything that happens in the world.
I’m just more baffled than anything. These are behaviors exhibited by grown adults, which blows my mind. There is no level of respect that these people are giving us without even reaching out and getting our side of the story. It’s just straight attack mode, which is really unfortunate.
I haven’t considered selling the Cybertruck because it takes a whole lot of courage to consistently grow and work and strive really hard to be successful in business and help the community. I am not one that will be bullied. I’m just not going to allow a group of people to bully me into actually trading in my vehicle.
