Reports around the world have claimed the coronavirus outbreak is spawning a rise in extra-marital affairs. With a spike in online cheating, how can you spot when an illicit internet interest threatens to destroy your marriage?

With much of the world in lockdown, married couples are being forced to spend large amounts of time together. As being stuck behind closed doors brings cracks in relationships to the fore, dating websites targeting frustrated spouses have reported huge increases in people looking to relieve the boredom of being forced together with their partners.

The rise in online cheating

The Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8175453/Rise-lockdown-AFFAIRS-Married-people-starting-elicit-online-flings.html” report that one such website has seen an 18 per cent rise in new male members and a 12 per cent in females signing up. Of that number, nearly three-quarters of men surveyed said they had joined due to ‘boredom’ with the current restrictions on daily life.

It is perhaps more difficult than ever for cheating partners to pursue an extra-marital affair in the ‘real world’. There was a recent https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/cheating-husband-catches-coronavirus-after-21711907” report in the UK press of a man who returned from a secret trip to Italy with his mistress only to be terrified of being rumbled when he returned to the UK having been infected with COVID-19.

And with all of us spending more and more time online to work from home, keep in touch with friends and family and fill in our spare time during this public health emergency, it seems inevitable that some will be drawn to the prospect of an internet affair using other reasons for being on the internet as a cover story.

Some people may see online flirting and sexual activity to be a harmless ‘bit of fun’ in the virtual world. But such digital liaisons can cause lasting harm to relationships and families and often lead to physical encounters and infidelities.

Signs of online cheating

New demands for privacy on the computer, using internet devices while you’re sleeping, rapidly closing screens when you enter the room, signs of new ‘anonymous’ email accounts being created and excessive time online claiming to be for another purpose - such as work - without any evidence of such activity, are signs your other half may be embarking on an online affair.

Matrimonial investigations into suspected cheating

Utilising an infidelity investigator can provide peace of mind that you are not being cheated on or can prove an affair is going on to enable you to take back control of your life.

For example, a private investigator can often trace even the most anonymous-looking email accounts back to the sender.

Computer monitoring software can be used to show all of your spouse’s online activity. If your spouse is out and about suspiciously, GPS tracking devices can be used, allowing you to see where your partner’s vehicle is 24 hours a day.

Hiring a private investigator can tell you once and for all if your other half is using pornography, singles’ websites, apps for married people to embark on affairs, or having online sex. If the dalliance has progressed to the real world, a matrimonial investigator will have the experience, skills and tools to determine just exactly what is, or is not, going on behind your back.