Police in both Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley are keeping a close eye on adult sex websites. While officers are looking for illegal activity and those who are under age, everything else that appears on these sex sites is totally legal.
“I think if you are going to use online dating and websites to meet people, I think that’s fine. However, you need to take certain steps to make sure you're safe,” said Deputy Keshia Guyll with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
AshleyMadison.com is a site specifically encouraging those who are married to cheat on their husbands and wives. Users take a picture and create a profile, putting it on the site for others to look at. The website's slogan: "Life is short. Have an affair."
If you like the profile, you can send a direct message for cyber-sex or even meet up for a sexual encounter.
Even though the websites are legal, investigators are still on the hunt for illegal activity. Jonathan Wear with the Van Buren Police Department is noticing a new online trend.
“When people are on the internet, they feel like they are anonymous. They feel like they are not going to get caught, and internet technology has improved to the point where if somebody creates those profiles, we can now determine who created it or what computer it came from,” Wear told 5NEWS.
5NEWS searched for locals on AshleyMadison.com, and dozens of husbands and wives are looking to have affairs on the website, just in Northwest Arkansas.
Many users wear masks on their profile pictures so their spouses won’t recognize them.
"About me" sections describe sex-seekers as bored with their marriages and looking for passion through extramarital sex.
The sex websites keep creeping up, and investigators with local cyber-crimes units want users to know, they won’t judge them for enjoying the sites. But if users stray off into illegal activity, investigators will be watching.