If people were honest about their disposition or desire to cheat, life would be easier for everybody.
Then, they could be with their fellow cheaters or at least, someone who wants something casual as well.
But we all know it doesn’t work that way.
In most cases, they pledge their love and devotion to one person and then cheat on them.
And because they were not upfront, they had to hide the affair so their partner wouldn’t find out.
If you are on the other end, it becomes difficult to catch them as they go through great lengths to make sure they are not caught.
So, what are those common methods cheaters use to hide their affairs?
Let’s take a look at them.
9 Methods Cheaters Use To Hide Their Affairs
1. They Lie A Lot
I know, I know! Captain obvious, right?
You are probably saying, “Well, this goes without saying,” and you are probably right.
But we might as well start from the obvious and then move on to the more subtle points.
So, as we have established, you already know, lying is a cheater’s number one tool.
Clearly, they can’t tell you the truth, so they have to lie.
But the thing is that they have mastered the act; that’s what makes theirs amazing, not in a good way.
They lie without guilt, without flinching, and while looking into your eyes.
They’ll tell you false stories about where they’ve been, who they were with, why they’re late, or what they were doing.
If you aren’t very discerning, it would be difficult to find them out, at least at first.
After a while, if you are honest and not comfortable with the falsehood, you will see that their stories will start to sound just a bit too rehearsed or too convenient.
It’s because they’ve practised the lie and become masters at telling it.
In fact, they may even start to believe it themselves.
2. They Become Obsessively Secretive
Another probably not-so-subtle way cheaters hide their tracks is that they become obsessively secretive.
First, they treat their phone like a vault that cannot be touched.
Most people lock their phones with a password, so it’s not just that.
For cheaters, that’s minimal.
For them, everything is passworded, including the photo gallery, because I mean, where do they keep the inappropriate pictures they keep of their affairs?
Another thing they do that I learnt from the girlies online is that they always put their phone screen down.
Their phone is never up, so you don’t see a message when it drops or see a phone ID they don’t want you to see.
They also take calls in another room, and jump if you pick up their device.
Cheaters always have something private going on, and they may even gaslight you into accepting their private life.
They may guilt-trip you into thinking you are crossing boundaries that should normally be crossed in a relationship.
Now, I’m not saying couples shouldn’t have any privacy, individuality or boundaries.
However, when you sign up for a relationship, there is a limit to how many you can have.
You are literally signing up to have some of your boundaries crossed.
For instance, I don’t believe your partner shouldn’t know your phone password.
Yes, I said it.
That doesn’t mean you should go about snooping.
If you need to snoop, then you probably shouldn’t be in the relationship.
But a password shouldn’t be a secret in a relationship.
However, that’s a big deal for cheaters – that’s basically giving you access to their affairs.
Let me say that some are smarter than this, though, and would likely have a burner for their affairs and give you access to the main phone.
But whatever the case, cheaters are very secretive and would hide any and everything that would reveal their true identity.
3. They’re Manipulative
Cheaters are master manipulators.
I mentioned gaslighting above; that’s something they do well.
They know how to twist things so well that you start doubting your own instincts.
For instance, if you question them about something suspicious, they may accuse you of being too sensitive or always looking for problems.
They’ll gaslight you into believing you’re the problem when deep down, you know something isn’t right.
The idea is to make you doubt what you know as true.
They are trying to keep you in a confused state and off their trail.
After all, if you are never sure about what you are suspecting, you can’t face them boldly about it.
4. They Lovebomb Their Partner
This one can be really confusing because you may think your partner is genuinely being affectionate.
But really, that’s the plan; it is to keep you thinking that.
Some cheaters become extra sweet when they are cheating.
They bombard their partner with gifts, compliments, surprise dates, and so much affection that it feels like the honeymoon phase again.
But it’s not always because they’ve fallen in love with you all over again or are trying to spice up the relationship.
For a cheater, it’s either guilt or a distraction tactic so you don’t suspect anything.
I mean, if things are great, that means they are, right?
Wrong.
Not when you are dealing with a cheater.
5. They Accuse You of Cheating
Another tactic is to project and accuse you of cheating.
Yes, as wild as it sounds, some cheaters will accuse you of cheating just to take the heat off themselves.
They do it to keep you busy so as to deflect suspicion.
So, while you’re busy defending your innocence, they get more time to cover their tracks.
When you have your hands full, you will hardly have the time to question them.
6. They Keep Their Affairs Short
Believe it or not, some cheaters don’t want a second relationship; they just want the thrill of an affair.
So, they keep their affairs short and fast.
They exchange a few texts, have a few meetups, and then they vanish before things get too complicated.
That way, it’s easy to stay under the radar and avoid the emotional mess that comes with long-term infidelity.
Quick flings are easier to deny or explain away if they’re ever caught.
So while it might feel like nothing’s going on, it’s because they’re making sure it doesn’t last long enough to leave a trace.
7. They Clear Their Digital Footprint
Some cheaters treat their phone like the crime scene it is.
That means they delete call logs, texts, DMs, browsing history, and even entire apps that could incriminate them.
Some even go as far as using encrypted messaging platforms or keeping a secret email.
This set of cheaters might not be overly protective of their device because they trust in their ability to clear all digital footprints.
So, this means the balance weighs to both sides on this one.
8. They Use Friends as an Alibi
As cliche as it sounds, birds of a feather really do flock together.
So, some cheaters use their friends to cover their tracks.
They always claim to be with one friend or the other when they hang out with their side piece.
Of course, sometimes, innocent friends get dragged into it, and they may be forced to keep the bro or sis code.
That’s why you shouldn’t make friends with cheaters; you would be forced to lie for them.
But that’s not the point, so let’s not get into that.
What matters is that sometimes, friends serve as an Alibi, and it’s difficult to catch them because the friend will likely back up the story.
9. They Act Completely Normal
The cheaters who do this would be professionals if we handed out academic degrees for cheating.
They are so good at pretending, you’d never suspect a thing.
They keep up with routines, treat you like usual, and show no signs of guilt.
So, it’s very difficult to spot them.
Not every cheater is distant or overly affectionate; some are incredibly good at compartmentalizing.
They act as normally as they would if they weren’t cheating.
The only way to spot this set is to trust your gut.
Sometimes, everything may look good on the surface, but when you get that gut feeling that something’s off, it likely usually is, even when you can’t put your finger on it.