When infidelity dating site Ashley Madison was hacked back in 2015 couples across the globe were left feeling ever so slightly paranoid about their other halves.
And while users of that particular site may have been exposed, it seems that adulterers are still finding corners of the web to indulge in their fantasies.
An online forum has been designed as a ‘safe haven’ for those having extramarital relations or looking to have affairs to gather and share tips and advice.
The forum currently has over 1,000 active members and aims to discourage ‘judgement’ among users
Hosted on social media site Reddit, the subreddit r/Affairs currently boasts over 1,000 members openly straying from their marriages.
The description of the forum reads: ‘For those who are secretly with someone else, or want to be.’
And while the forum is open to anyone who wants to join, the site’s organisers are keen to iterate that any judgement is not tolerated.
They add: ‘This is a judgement free zone. Anyone who makes attacks for what others do in their private lives will be banned.’
Topics see well seasoned cheaters asking for advice as well as offering it out to those who are new to the forum
An subreddit called r/Affairs is an online forum dedicated to adulterers where they can swap tips and share stories
As can be expected members of the site operate under pseudonyms in the form of usernames with many members choosing to post under a ‘throwaway’ account.
A ‘throwaway’ essentially means that users post just once before deleting their entire account to avoid it being traced back to them.
The forum is flooded with endless threads of members expressing their guilt and quizzing fellow adulterers on advice on dealing with it.
Topic titles such as ‘wife asking questions’ and ‘how do y’all cope with all the lying?’ appear regularly on the feed.
People can also be seen using the site as a way to find potential hook ups
Other first-time cheaters take to the site looking for advice from more seasoned philanderers on being discreet and even finding a secondary partner.
Some of the confessions are more shocking such as one woman who took to the site to reveal that she was pregnant with a married man and asked for advice in a post titled ‘Had an affair. Pregnant. Keep it or not?’
Elsewhere both men and women share public adverts under titles such as ’31[M4F]. Is this what you want?’ and ‘M42 seeking affair’ in the hope to meet a partner in crime through the forum.
In one example a man writes: ‘I’ll be straight. I am a married man (white) in the UK and am looking for an affair (online or otherwise).
Some of the confessions are more shocking such as one woman who took to the site to reveal that she was pregnant with a married man and asked for advice
‘My wife is very straight and I need someone who is into dirty, kinky fun (the dirtier and kinkier the better). PM me and let’s see what happens.’
Elsewhere a 25-year-old UK based woman admits that she is hoping to take revenge on her previously unfaithful husband of eight years.
She writes: Been together for 8 years but he cheated 2 years in, repeatedly. I foolishly forgave him but have never forgotten.
Now we live together, have children together… I hate him for what he did… I can’t make this feeling of wanting to experience what it’s like, go away? I’m not really sure what I want here but I would sure appreciate somebody to talk to. I just want to feel alive again.’
While the site operates a zero tolerance rule to ‘judgement’ users do face criticisms from outsiders.
In a post entitled ‘you’re all sick’ a visitor writes: ‘you probably dont even love or ever have, you just want to experience the taboo shit you do behind peoples back as you use them and laugh at them (sic).
‘i dont wanna hear about stuck in marriage so thats why youre looking for an affair, seriously, say it aloud. youre probably retarded. youre all sick and should do some soul searching (sic).’