It's not always possible to find definite clues that your spouse is cheating, but there are things that may give you pause and make you wonder. Cheating has moved into the digital age. Instead of lipstick on the collar or someone else's shoes under the bed, you may need to look for high-tech signs that your spouse is straying:

Finding Social Media Clues

Social media has become a factor in ⅓ of divorces. Where sneaking around with somebody once meant sneaking out of the house even for a quick conversation, people today can interact with their lovers right through cyberspace at any time of the day or night. Studies have shown that people who heavily use social media are 50% more likely to consider leaving their spouses as opposed to those that rarely use social media. That means that you should be conscious of any unexplained changes in your spouse's online behavior.

There are specific signs that your spouse may be using the internet to stray:

  • He or she suddenly changes the passwords on any social media accounts after using the same one for years (and doesn't tell you about it).

  • He or she shuts down their computer or closes out of chat windows as soon as you enter the room.

  • His or her browser history is always deleted.

  • He or she suddenly starts spending long hours and late nights up on the computer to "just play games."

  • His or her mailbox is always meticulously cleaned out and the trash file is always emptied.

Using Cell Phones Strangely

Your spouse may use his or her cell phone like a mini-computer, so the same social media clues may be there. There are usually additional signs, however:

  • You find a prepaid phone or the receipt for one.

  • There are frequently called numbers on the phone with no identifying information saved.

  • He or she begins to keep the cell phone in a pocket or tucked away, even when home.

  • He or she gets unusually physically possessive about his or her phone and even gets angry if you touch it

Gathering Evidence

What do you do if you have suspicions that your spouse is straying? There are plenty of technological options available for spying on your spouse:

  • Keylogging programs can record your spouse's exact keystrokes and reveal both the websites that he or she visits and any conversations he or she is having online or through email.

  • GPS trackers can be downloaded onto cell phones and used to monitor your spouse's physical location when he or she isn't home.

  • Apps can be downloaded that will capture screenshots of instant messages and record phone conversations.

Evidence of an affair can have an impact in court. Depending on the laws in your state, a cheating spouse can be obligated to pay alimony (if he or she is the primary wage earner). Alternately, if the dependent spouse is the one that cheated, the primary wage earner may be relieved of the duty to pay alimony. Judges can also use a spouse's extramarital activity as a factor when awarding custody of the children. The cheater's ability to provide a stable home could be drawn into question if he or she is putting a romance ahead of the children.

The problem with gathering evidence of electronic cheating is that none of that may be legal in your state. The laws on wiretapping and illicit recordings that apply to electronic communications aren't easy to understand. Both federal and state regulations can make tapping your spouse's phone or computer or going through his or her email a crime. Before you start to gather evidence, contact a divorce attorney, like those at Koth & Gregory PC Law Firm, and discuss what is legal in your state.

Share