Woman's Digital Revenge on Cheating Ex Defended: 'I Just Snapped'

Internet commenters were quick to defend one scorned woman seeking digital revenge against her cheating ex-boyfriend.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/pettyrevenge, an anonymous Redditor (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she discovered she was not her boyfriend's only partner and detailed the multifaceted retaliation plot that exposed his infidelity to the world.

Titled, "He lied to me so I left his number everywhere," the post has received nearly 10,000 upvotes in the last day.

"I [have] been dating this guy I really liked for [three] months," OP began. "I was happy and I thought things were going great."

Continuing to explain that she began feeling suspicious that her boyfriend was being dishonest about something, the original poster said her concerns were quickly shut down, and that she was repeatedly assured that "it was all in [her] head."

The original poster also said that, after carrying out a deep dive on Facebook, her suspicions were confirmed.

"I found his real Facebook with all the pictures and videos of his actual long term girlfriend in another state," OP wrote. "He looked very much in love and I was very disappointed because I never knew.

"[So] yesterday I spent all day signing him up for everything I could find that asked for a [phone] number," OP continued. "Cat facts, weather updates in different states, car insurance quotes, life insurance, bible verses, coupons, everything I could find. His phone will be so full of spam.

"Then I posted screenshots of our conversations all over [the couple's Facebook photos]...and I took out his name so the number was visible at the top," OP added. "I have never done anything like this before but for years men have been lying to me...and I just snapped. But I do not feel bad and will not apologize."

Romantic breakups are difficult for everybody.

But while some respond to breakups with a burning desire to move forward, others are consumed by the sadness of separation.

And in extreme cases, scorned lovers are fueled by the prospect of retaliation against the person who broke their heart.

"Rejection or abandonment can set off underlying rage and the need to make the other person hurt as badly as they feel they have been abused," clinical psychologist and marriage counselor Randi Gunther, Ph.D., told Newsweek.

Post-breakup revenge, which has long held a place in popular culture, can take many forms, commonly involving small- and large-scale property damage, stalking and with the growing presence of social media, digital harassment and humiliation.

All in hopes of getting even.

"Being able to get back at the now-labeled abuser gives...scorned lovers a sense of being able to take their power back," Gunther said. "Revenge helps them feel justified."

Despite the potential consequences for post-breakup revenge, both legal and social, many Redditors throughout the viral post's comment section defended the original poster for virtually retaliating against her ex-boyfriend, with some going so far as to offer additional suggestions for spam text message services.

"Donate blood and give them his number," Redditor u/Stellar1557 commented, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. "Those dudes call me like 3 [times] a week."

"Political campaigns...make sure to sign him up for their email lists too!" Redditor u/jsjones1027 added. "Bonus points for really obscure ones and ones that he really hates."

Redditor u/Honest-Illusions, whose comment has received nearly 1,000 upvotes, applauded the original poster's actions and speculated on their ultimate impact.

"You did great!" they exclaimed. "Hope his other [girlfriend] does the same."

"Make sure that people know of his actions," Redditor u/eveakane chimed in. "You can't really expect a cheater to not try this all over again somewhere else."

Newsweek has reached out to the original poster for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.