100 Wild Ways People Accidentally Found Out Their Partner Was Cheating

It seems that nowadays, cheaters are a dime a dozen. When the Dating Advice team conducted a survey, they were shocked to discover that 83% of the 1,000 people polled had been in a cheating relationship. The site reveals that the stats climbed to a "staggering" 93% among Gen Z, compared to 80% for millennials.

The same survey found that most cheaters were exposed when their partner snooped through phones and find incriminating texts and DMs. "Unusual credit card statements, like hotel charges, catch 16% of men and 10% of women," adds the Dating Advice site. "34% of millennials confront their partners about cheating suspicions, while 22% of Gen-Z’s do the same."

Quite a few cheaters got caught thanks to dating apps, while others were simply careless. "Physical evidence is one of the most common reasons that Gen-Z cheaters get caught, with 19.82% of those surveyed admitting that it’s a found item (such as perfume receipts, flowers, or a condom) that traps them," the survey noted.

Sometimes, the guilty party decides to confess. The survey found that 26.01% of millennials say they’ve voluntarily owned up to their cheating. "Gen-Zers, on the other hand, are a bit more guarded, with just 18.17% of people aged 18-27 voluntarily admitting their guilt," it notes.

A similar survey, conducted Down Under, revealed that 1 in 5 of the Australians polled had cheated. Surprisingly, 41% of them said they'd confessed to their who’ve confessed to their partner. But experts warn the real reasons for doing so should be examined.

“Confessing is interesting, it’s like, who’s it for?” says relationship therapist Lara Maree. “Is it for the person who’s cheated to feel better and get a feeling of relief? Or that they feel guilty and regret and wish they hadn’t done it?”

Maree adds that sometimes, it's simply a case of confessing because they don't have much of a choice.

“Potentially there is a pressure, like if they’ve cheated with someone they know and that person is threatening them and being like, ‘If you don’t tell them, I will’. So I see that kind of thing as well," she told Body and Soul. However, there are times a cheater will come clean in a bid to save their relationship.

“Maybe they already know the end is there and it’s a way to go, ‘You know what, actually I’ve done this’, and it kind of ends the relationship,” the expert said.

The Australian survey revealed that 18% of cheaters were caught because someone else told their partner, while 17% said it came out when their other half checked their phone or another device. 

5% had their location tracked, and 10% got busted because their partner was suspicious of their behavior. A few (6%) had the misfortune of having their side piece tell their SO and an unlucky 4% were caught in the act.

"We as human beings will inevitably have moments in our life, especially if we’re with people for a long time, where we slip up, here and there, in various different ways," says Maree, adding that it comes down to open, clear and honest communication.

"If we create environments of healthy communication and emotional safety, it can make it a lot easier to work through them,” the expert advises.