A private investigator has revealed one habit he says many men share when they’re cheating — and it can end up giving them away.
Figuring out whether a partner is being unfaithful isn’t always straightforward, and most people don’t want to start making accusations without something solid to back them up.
That uncertainty is one reason some turn to private investigators, paying professionals to find out whether a spouse or partner is hiding something.
There are, of course, classic red flags — being caught outright, or spotting suspicious, flirtatious messages on a phone — but one investigator says another clue can be much easier to miss.
Connecticut-based PI Ray Ranno says there’s a particular pattern he often notices before a man meets up with someone on the side.
He explained that although stakeouts can involve long stretches of boredom, things pick up once he starts noticing familiar behaviors — often enough for him to anticipate what might happen next.
Appearing on the Locked In with Ian Bick podcast in 2025, Ranno shared his take on what he repeatedly sees during cases.
“If a guy’s going to pick up his sweetie on the side, he wants a clean car,” Ranno said.
According to him, it’s not unusual for men to get their vehicle cleaned up right before they go through with meeting someone.
He continued: “As soon as somebody goes to the car wash I think ‘Ha ha, what’s next?’ It’s amazing how they do that. Women not so much. Women don’t do it so much because they usually jump in the guy’s car, men always want to drive. It’s very rare that I see a guy jump into a female’s car.”
Ranno added that once the meet-up happens, that’s when his job shifts into documenting what’s going on, compiling evidence for the client who hired him.
He also pushed back on the cliché image of private investigators — the stereotypical figure in a trench coat snapping photos from a parked car.
Instead, he said modern surveillance often involves discreet, high-tech tools designed to blend into everyday settings.
Ranno said he uses a long-lens camera to capture photo and video evidence, but also carries a decoy coffee cup fitted with a hidden high-definition camera, allowing him to stay close without drawing attention.
“If I go into a coffee place, or a supermarket wherever I need to be, I just take the lid off turn it on put the cap on and it looks like I’m walking around with a coffee. Meantime I’m videotaping everything,” he said.
Afterward, the footage and images are handed over to the paying client — the person who suspects they’re being cheated on.
And if Ranno’s experience is anything to go by, it might not hurt to pay attention to more than just a partner’s phone — their sudden interest in keeping the car spotless could also be telling.