Doing things yourself can save you time, money, and stress. No every task requires a professional or a licensed expert. But sometimes, only an experienced party will do. Attempting some things yourself can lead to a bigger mess, rather than a resolved issue.

Anyone suspecting they are being cheated on are urged to leave the sleuthing to the pros.

Every week some online news source has asked an alleged expert to list the “top ten signs your spouse is cheating,” or some such tired piece of “information.” While these often repeat some info, and leave off other important signs, they can be a good reference point for those who don’t know where to start.

Finding out the truth is actually fairly easy for a licensed PI, and it doesn’t usually cost a lot of money, or take much time. While nailing down the specifics may be a bit more difficult.

One of the few things those scripted “reality” shows get right is that the suspicious party is always trying to figure out who their partner is talking to when they think they are being cheated on. This makes sense as there can be no infidelity without communication. Strange calls–especially at the perfect time, while you aren’t around–are a sure sign of cheating. Don’t overlook this vital clue!

Cell communication provides cheaters with a sense of invisibility, and a feeling that they cannot be found out. Discovering the source of strange, late, or conveniently-timed phone calls will often point to the other cheater.

This sort of digging should be left to experienced investigators. Attempting to find the truth yourself often results in a botched investigation, and being caught by those you are trying to catch. And then they are too careful to every give you opportunity again.

Discovering who the suspicious party is chatting with is usually all that is required to determine whether there is something to worry about or not. Sadly, there are many sites on the web that scam their customers by accepting payment, and then simply forwarding the customer to a different, unrelated site that performs legitimate phone number searches. Consumers should be careful and select sites that make it clear that they perform their own investigations rather that outsourcing the work.