Internet commentators were quick to defend a despised woman seeking digital revenge against her cheating ex-boyfriend.
In a viral Reddit post published on r/pettyrevenge, an anonymous Redditor (aka Original Poster or OP) said she found out she wasn’t her boyfriend’s only partner and described the multi-faceted plan for retaliation, who revealed his infidelity to the world.
The post, titled “He lied to me so I left his number everywhere,” received almost 10,000 upvotes in the last day.
“I [have] was with this guy who i really liked [three] months,” OP began. “I was happy and thought things were going great.”
Explaining further that she was beginning to feel suspicious that her boyfriend was being dishonest about something, the original poster said her concerns were quickly dismissed and that she was repeatedly reassured that “everything was fine.” [her] Head.”
The original poster also said their suspicions were confirmed after a deep dive on Facebook.
“I found his real Facebook with all the pics and videos of his actual longtime girlfriend out of state,” the OP wrote. “He looked very much in love and I was very disappointed because I never knew.
“[So] I spent all day yesterday signing him up for everything I could find that called for one [phone] Number,” OP continued. His phone will be so full of spam.
“Then I started posting screenshots of our conversations everywhere [the couple’s Facebook photos]…and I took his name out so the number was visible at the top,” OP added. But I don’t feel bad and I won’t apologize.”
Romantic breakups are difficult for everyone.
But while some respond to breakups with a burning desire to move forward, others are consumed by the sadness of the breakup.
And in extreme cases, despised lovers are fueled by the prospect of retaliation against the person who broke their heart.
“Rejection or abandonment can trigger underlying anger and a need to hurt the other person as badly as they feel abused,” said clinical psychologist and marriage counselor Randi Gunther, Ph.D news week.
Post-breakup revenge, which has long held a place in popular culture, can take many forms, typically involving minor and major property damage, stalking, and the growing presence of social media, digital harassment, and humiliation.
All in the hope of a balance.
“Being able to retaliate against the abuser, now labeled an abuser, makes … despised lovers feel like they can take back their power,” Gunther said. “Revenge helps them feel justified.”
Ivan Balvan/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Despite the potential ramifications for post-breakup revenge, both legal and social, many Redditors throughout the comments section of the viral post defended the original poster for practically getting revenge on their ex-boyfriend, with some going so far as to suggest additional spam text messages making services.
“Donate blood and give them his number,” commented Redditor u/Stellar1557, receiving more than 2,000 upvotes. “These guys call me like 3 [times] one week.”
“Political campaigns… make sure you subscribe him to their email lists too!” Redditor added u/jsjones1027. “Bonus points for really obscure ones and ones he really hates.”
Redditor u/Honest-Illusions, whose comment received nearly 1,000 upvotes, applauded the original poster’s actions and speculated on their ultimate impact.
“You did well!” they shouted. “Hope his different [girlfriend] does the same.”
“Make sure people know about his actions,” interjected Redditor u/eveakane. “You can’t really expect a scammer to not try that again somewhere else.”
news week contacted the original poster for comment. We have not been able to verify the details of the case.
Has infidelity broken your trust in your partner? Let us know at [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
