I’ve Caught Thousands of Love Rats as a Private Investigator – 5 Ways Men Avoid Detection… Including the Plastic Bag Trick

LEON Hart sits hunched over his laptop, surrounded by empty coffee cups and stacks of case files.

The glow of the screen shines on his tired face as he works through the night – trying to capture some of the UK’s greatest lovers.

6

In the space of 15 years, the private investigator detected more than 5,000 cheaters.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun from his London office, he says: “Nothing surprises me anymore. Some people can juggle up to three subjects at the same time.

“Around 25 to 30 customers a month contact us with concerns about their partners’ suspicious activities.”

Surprisingly, 60% of men and 45% of women will cheat on their lover at some point in their marriage.

And the way lovers keep their flings secret is surprising – with 38% even admitting to lying about a family death to hide their infidelity, according to a survey by the married dating site. Illicitencounters.com.

Leon – who is managing director of Intime Investigations Ltd and has more than 30 years experience working in protection and rigorous surveillance – tells how the British will make “every effort” to avoid detection.

“We once had a target who would park at the local golf course, put his phone in a plastic bag, and discreetly place it in a nearby bush,” he recalls.

“This allowed him to meet the other person at a nearby hotel without his wife suspecting anything as he still had his mobile location services on which showed him on the golf course all day.”

He adds: “A few years ago, a wife contacted me and suspected her wealthy husband of infidelity as he disappeared on ‘business’ for a few days a week.

“Her husband owned a small plane and also had a pilot’s license. It turned out that he was having an affair with three different women at the same time, all spread across nearby islands, alternating between women equally for many years.”

6

Cost of heartbreak

Surveillance is the most effective and compliant method to obtain indisputable evidence of any wrongdoing.

Leon’s company charges more than £500 for one “operative” – usually a half-day session – but it can take several to find evidence of wrongdoing.

“It usually takes two to three days to capture a love mouse, so it can get quite expensive,” he says.

“Some people were caught in the first few hours of observation, it all depends on whether we were informed about the day they will meet their lover and how often they meet them.

“Surveillance is always client-led, so if the subject is acting suspiciously and their partner notices, we suggest surveillance when the subject later mentions working late, work functions, staying away from home, etc.”

He adds: “We would use the same when conducting personal injury claims or corporate fraud investigations.

“We would need a photo and description of the subject, a starting point, which is typically a business or home address, and a recommended start day/time.”

Follow your intuition

In Leon’s experience, “women’s intuition” is almost always right.

He found that about 85% of clients who think their husbands or spouses are cheating are in fact correct.

He says: “A man was suspected of cheating on his wife of 50 years, they had three children and seven grandchildren.

“After using surveillance, we identified that he lived at another address with a woman in exactly the same village as his wife.

Men often act on impulse, so women seek to become more emotionally attached and there is more effort to plan infidelity and cover their tracks.

Leon Hart

“After she confronted him with our evidence, he confessed to having this affair for about the same number of years they had been married. He had two children and three grandchildren with this person.”

He adds: “I have found that a woman’s intuition, or sixth sense, is sharper than a man’s and they often notice something that isn’t right many months before he does.”

Contrary to common belief, Leon tells how men are just as likely to contact them as women, suspecting their partners of infidelity.

“Ten to 15 years ago we were predominantly contacted by women who suspected their partners of cheating, but there has been an increase and now we are seeing a pretty even balance across the board,” he explains.

“But men are a little more reluctant to contact us and prefer to try a DIY job which usually doesn’t go as planned and consequently the guy will be more attentive to surveillance in the future, which inevitably makes it more difficult for professionals.”

When it comes to cheating, he says, men tend to cheat if they think they can get away with it, while women tend to cheat for emotional reasons.

“Men are more opportunistic than women,” continues Leon. “Men often act on impulse, so women seek to become more emotionally attached and there is more effort to plan infidelity and cover their tracks.

“Social networks have provided us with a tool that allows us to contact people we trust and vice versa in the past, we already have things in common and this can sometimes lead to infidelity.

Paperbacks

6

Illicit dating data reveals that business trips (87%) and golf trips (74%) are the most popular excuses to avoid detection. This is followed by work over time (70 percent) and family commitments (68 percent).

A shocking 38% of respondents went so far as to fake the death of a family to hide their infidelity.

And 42 per cent have even tried on disguises, with a shocking 8 per cent even claiming to have dressed as the opposite sex to hide.

But Leon says that excuses and disguises can only get you so far and that there is a limit to the number of affairs someone can have at one time without getting caught.

“Most experienced con artists can manage three cases at once,” he continues.

“Anything beyond that number is impossible to manage without getting too complicated.”

6

6