The Virtual Reality of Your Divorce: How private eyes use social networks to get evidence

The vast amount of information we share on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tinder is staggering. By simply viewing someone’s profile we can instantly learn who they’ve been with, where they’ve been and why.

To the average punter, this sort of information might be seen as harmless but for a lawyer investigating infidelity, this could be crucial evidence in a divorce settlement.

Here are few reasons why private investigators use facebook and social networks to gather evidence:

Over sharing.

According to the American Academy of Matrimonial lawyers, over 80 per cent of its members have used evidence taken from twitter, facebook, MySpace or other social networking sites.

The types of this online evidence might include a cheating spouse uploading pictures or updating statuses with their new lover. After finding these photos, a private investigator can legally save these images and present them as proof in cases of infidelity.

A flirting hotbed.

Most affairs usually start with some type of communication and Facebook has proven to be the ideal environment for romantic seeds getting planted. It could be an old high school fling or steamy office romance but according to a 2008 report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about one in five adults use social networking for flirting.

Private Investigators will almost certainly search through facebook messages to gather evidence for cases involving divorce so if you’re a serial online flirter- be careful about what you post!

Privacy.

Most people don’t think about settings or preferences when it comes to social networking. For this reason, private investigators have an extremely easy time of finding evidence in divorce cases and more.

The best way to protect yourself from being exposed online is to update and tighten those security settings. A simple google search will provide you with detailed explanations about how to make all your conversations and photos private. By doing this, you make a private investigators job much more difficult.

Hopefully this article has given you some useful tips about how evidence can be gathered from the many social networks found online.

For additional Lyonswood Investigation enquires, please click here.

Want to know more about protecting yourself from online dating scams?

Then view a previous article on this subject: Private Investigators: The dangers of online phishing scams.