New statistics from extra-marital dating site IllicitEncounters.com show that more and more married people are using Facebook to conduct affairs.
New research by a UK-based extra-marital dating site has reinforced claims that Facebook is fast becoming the quickest way to catch cheating spouses.
llicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extra-marital dating agency, surveyed 800 of its members as to whether they had ever been “caught out”. 41% of those who had been stated that a dalliance on the social networking site played an important role in their downfall. Despite this, the number one mistake made by spouses is still mobile-related; over 61% of those surveyed said a text message had, at some point, either incriminated them totally or aroused suspicion about their affair.
The research comes after UK divorce site Divorce-Online found that 20% of divorce petitions submitted to its database contained the word “Facebook”.
In response to the statistics, IllicitEncounters.com has created a Top Five of tips for would-be adulterers on how to keep their activities untracked whilst on Facebook. The list was released to site members on Monday.
1. Keep an eye on your “Wall” – All your activities on Facebook are tracked, including the friends you acquire and your actions on other people’s pages. Most are documented automatically, but if there’s something you really want to keep secret, you can manually delete it from your wall by visiting your profile.
2. Choose the right browser - Pick a browser that enables private browsing, like Safari. This means you can have a session where no cookies or history are stored once you’ve closed the browser.
3. Check your Facebook settings - In ‘Settings’, click ‘Privacy’, and make sure that you are only publishing information about yourself to ‘Friends’. This means that spouses who have created fake accounts won’t be able to see what you’re doing unless you add them.
4. Create a fake account - If you feel like you’re being watched, create a new account with a different name, and only add those people you want to add. Make sure you sign up with a neutral, untrackable email address, as Facebook friends may find you by email.
5. Don’t tick ‘Remember Me’ or ‘Keep me logged in’ - Always log out, otherwise your partner could use the internet after you and get straight into your account.
Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com, Sara Hartley, comments, “Text messages may more often incriminate cheaters, but it is on Facebook where many of these seeds are sewn. Spouses find themselves in regular contact with past girlfriends and school friends. They become ‘retrosexual’, trying to relight old flames. Unfortunately, any suspicious activity will leave a virtual trail of evidence.”
“This is why sites like ours really are the only option for men and women who don’t want to get caught. We create a non-judgemental platform for people to conduct discreet affairs; the partners they meet on Illicit Encounters are likely to also be married, and they will be removed from their usual personal, professional and online circles. Most importantly, there is no “Wall” on IE to document their activities.”
Hi, wow, this is good stuff, i enjoy it allot.Greetings
My wife used Facebook and texting to have an affair. We had worked so hard to build ourselves both financially and personally as a couple. I really never saw it coming. Facebook has become not much more than a breeding ground for this kind of act. Yes, the individual is of course to blame not Facebook. Our society values this need for instant communication, gratification..the need to be seen and see what other are doing. I really don’t understand. My marriage is over because of Janel and her bad decision. However, I do blame our society for putting more value into the joys of technology and less into the values of promises and commitments kept.
I had the exact same thing happen to me. My husbands high school girlfriend contacted him and his low self esteem from having trouble with finding a decent job, sent him running to her. We had what I thought was a wonderful marriage, and I was completely blindsided.
I just hope he wakes up and realizes what he lost and that the grass in NOT greener on the other side. Relationships take work, and it’s the good and bad that make a strong marriage.
My husband was a big coward too, because he told me there was “no one else” when out of the clear blue he decided to leave. It was only after months of my begging for answers did a friend tell me there was in fact someone else.
I hate facebook!!!
I hear ya my husband of 14 years found old classmates from Redwood city,Ca. and high school and claimed they were all married and just friends so when i saw messages from them that they were no longer married and or him flirting with them..he told me i was crazy andposted all ver facebook that i am a b____ and a crazy insecure women,,and these women didnt see the signs!!STUUUUUPID lol!
My husband used facebook as a communication tool with his girlfriend. I saw that this woman who worked for him was a friend and questioned why, but accepted his lame excuse. She was a work release prisoner and nothing special, so I dismissed it. Little did I know-this was how he communicated with her while he was home. Easy to communicate and just as easy to delete. Funny thing was, this gave her access to my facebook page and she started getting all sorts of jealous over pictures posted, etc…. This sure did promote a problem for her. He then tried to end it because of her jealous rants.
Needless to say, the cowardess then made up a fake facebook profile and anonymously told me all about the affair, while pretending to be a friend of the woman. It was her all along because certain details she shared were only known by the woman herself. She totally burned herself, because it was then that he realized what he had and what she really was since she could be so mean to myself and my children. He begged to return. Had she just kept it under wraps, she would probably still be in his life. Stupid, stupid girl!!
you’re the idiot for staying!
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I have a Facebook page and years ago I had a myspace page. I also had a fiance that HATED facebook (to the point of verbally abusing me for having one) but he looooved the bars (still does). I NEVER even gave thought to cheating on him, even though the opportunities were there, but I did bust him several times cheating on me with women he has met at bars and ex-girlfriends who live in different states. He has done this since before facebook & myspace were even created. Saying facebook is the reason people cheat is like saying “guns kill people”. People kill people & people cheat on people. Guns & facebook might make it easier to do so but ultimately, it’s that persons decision to carry through with it.
I learned a lot from this post, much appreciated!
Thanks for coming to the site Sarah. Glad we could shine some light here for you and others.
My spouse has cheated in every province we have lived in Watson, Sask and Ontario and PEI and Nova Scotia he is a liar and cheat and continues this behaviour at 59. He will never be satisfied with just us in the marriage and has resorted in threesome acts also we live in PEI now. These cold Rats or Cheats whatever you prefer never change and never leave their wives either. There are so many fools out there on these sites that I wonder where all our morals have gone. The divorce rates have soared since dating sites appeared on the web and lawyers are loving these 2FF which stands for f…king Fools so ready to hand over hard earned monetary funds. Pray we all need it. I have never cheated on my spouse it is beneath my standards but Dave on the other hand has none.
Hi! My name is Will. I’m a producer with a nationally syndicated talkshow. We are doing a show about the perils of social media and Facebook in particular, next week. We are looking for people who have a story to tell about their experiences with Facebook and possibly have some unfinished business they would like to deal with on the show. We are taping our program on Wednesday, January 11th in NYC. Please feel free to contact me at 212.419.7413. We do provide airfare, hotel, and a small per diem. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Will Richards
I hear ya my husband of 14 years found old classmates from Redwood city,Ca. and high school and claimed they were all married and just friends so when i saw messages from them that they were no longer married and or him flirting with them..he told me i was crazy andposted all ver facebook that i am a b____ and a crazy insecure women,,and these women didnt see the signs!!STUUUUUPID lol! please call me will lft you a message..sencerely yours.loriann in Montana