---
title: "People Used Fiverr to Spy on Their Spouses"
description: "The freelance job board Fiverr housed a number of people offering illegal or otherwise unsettling surveillance and spy services."
date: "2019-08-26"
modified: "2019-08-26"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fiverr-spy-spouses"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "cybersecurity"
  - "fiverr"
  - "malware"
  - "surveillance"
  - "the digest"
---

# People Used Fiverr to Spy on Their Spouses

![The freelance job board Fiverr housed a number of people offering illegal or otherwise unsettling surveillance and spy services.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/fiverr-spy-spouses.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Photo by Taylor Hernandez via Unsplash/Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

## $5 Spy Job

Fiverr, the freelancer's job board known for quick, cheap gigs and [terrible subway ads](<https://observer.com/2017/04/fiverr-ad-campaign-worst-ever/>), had a bit of a stalker problem.

People have been using the site to offer and commission spies, covert surveillance setups, and even unlicensed private investigators, *[Motherboard ](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a35vzj/freelance-site-fiverr-offers-illegal-private-spying-services>)*[reports](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a35vzj/freelance-site-fiverr-offers-illegal-private-spying-services>) — suggesting that the internet's [content moderation problem](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-content-moderators-lawsuit-ptsd>) is increasingly growing beyond YouTube and Facebook, to other platforms and sometimes the offline world.

## Side Hustles

*Motherboard* found people offering video surveillance services, people offering to install hidden GPS trackers on people's cars, and people offering to install illegal malware that tracks and monitors the infected computer.

"I have undetectable spyware to monitor your cheating spouse, staffs \[sic\] and kids gadgets," read one listing found by *Motherboard*, which offered a keystroke recorder for five dollars and password-stealing malware for $400.

While Fiverr told *Motherboard* about various ways it looks for inappropriate job listings, none of the illegal or otherwise unsettling gigs *Motherboard* pointed out had previously been flagged by the company.

**READ MORE:** [Freelance Site Fiverr Offers Illegal Private Spying Services](<https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a35vzj/freelance-site-fiverr-offers-illegal-private-spying-services>) \[*Motherboard*\]

**More on freelancing:** *[SF Is so Expensive That People Are Using Parking Spots as Offices](<https://futurism.com/coworking-space-wepark-parking-lot>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)