Online Infidelity - Is Your Partner Cheating On You Online

Smart phones, tablets, and laptops have become every day necessities, keeping us connected to our personal and professional lives. Apps have made many of our tasks easier to execute and technology continues to push that need for a digital presence. From ordering food, paying bills, and dating sites, technology easily enables both our needs and wants.

However, despite these conveniences, remote transacting has also made it very easy to mask one’s presence and engage in various illicit activities. Cases of online scams and identity theft have risen exponentially over the past decade. What’s more, online anonymity has made it quite simple to engage in unfaithful relationships on the Internet.

Understanding Online Cheating

We can no longer limit ourselves to the traditional definition of cheating. Infidelity is usually defined as having a face-to-face relationship and actual contact with another individual other than your spouse or your significant other. But online affairs, despite the lack of physical interaction, have similar intentions and just a different mode of execution.

Your spouse can easily send racy photos, flirtatious messages over social media or on a dating site, and send detailed letters over e-mail. Unlike traditional affairs, online infidelity allows for faster results and instant gratification. Your partner and the third party can also easily take it to the next level and meet outside of the digital space.

Is your spouse more secretive than usual about using his or her phone? Is he or she less open about using their gadgets in front of you? Here are some signs that your partner could be cheating on you online.

Other Social Media Accounts

Has your partner or spouse been less active on the social media account? Do you know all the recently added contacts on your partner’s account? Have your friends or his co-workers mentioned other accounts that he or she uses, but you haven’t added? If he used to be open about his accounts is suddenly secretive, you might want to look into his recent activity or search for alternative accounts.

Change in Behavior

Just like a traditional affair, any changes in his behavior could be a sign that he’s cheating online. Observe if he has become sweeter than usual or more reclusive when it comes to his personal affairs. They usually exhibit meaner behavior to use the affair as an excuse or become nicer than usual out of guilt.

Other Accounts

It’s normal for someone to have one account per social media page, but an online affair requires an alternate identity. If your partner seems to be handling more than one account for personal use, then he or she may be using this to meet other people. You could also check if he or she is getting involved in dating apps or websites.

Device Use

Most spouses or partners give access to their digital devices despite the need for pass codes or passwords.  But if your partner is not giving access to his devices or some shared accounts, then he might be using that for an affair. Your spouse could also be more secretive when you walk into a room, quickly switching between tabs or hiding viewed pages. You should also think twice if he starts keeping his phone activity from you as well.

Check the Digital Trail

Online affairs are much easier to track than traditional ones. You could look into his or her browser history, sneak a peek into the phone, or check the monthly cell phone bills. Bills can show a number that he frequently contacts but is new to his list. Browsing history can show some pages that enable or allow for online affairs or even online dating.

If your partner is exhibiting some of these behaviors, then you might want to look into hiring a private investigator. An investigator can make a more comprehensive check of the online affair and know where to look to catch a proper digital trail. Having concrete evidence will help you in the long run, whether you decide to confront him personally or in court.