The saying about lying and tangled webs is so true, but it’s fun to catch someone tangled in their very own deceptions. It’s a satisfying feeling to watch a liar squirm and get their comeuppance. The following are stories about all the great times people got caught in their webs.
Cancerous Lies
The extent that people go to, just to get some attention, is astounding. To tell people that you’re sick with cancer to get attention when you know you’re healthy isn’t just lying — it’s mental illness. Trying to gain people’s sympathy through this kind of lying won’t turn out well in the end when, eventually, people will learn the truth — that you don’t have a conscience and are willing to tell enormous lies for selfish reasons.
People will ultimately turn away, creating the opposite of what you were looking for.
Not Quite a Lie
Not sure this qualifies as a lie. Maybe a promise unfulfilled. But probably not a lie. The fact that this gentleman called it a “lie” says something about the state of their relationship. Rather than say his wife “forgot to clean up like she promised she would,” he decides to say she flat out “lied.” We aren’t sure what their relationship is like, but we can assume that it’s probably got some major cracks.
Those relationship bumps probably have with less to do with doing dishes and more to do with more significant issues
Early to the Party
We’d like to assume that maybe the caller had the wrong number, and he meant to call another restaurant — one that served breakfast and opened earlier. Otherwise, it’s just plain embarrassing. You’d think people would do some research before they tried to pull a fast one. Maybe put some effort into it. Instead, he looked up the nearest fast food joint and dialed it in without looking at the restaurant hours.
Although, in his defense, maybe he was super hungry, and his blood sugar was low. He obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.
Not So Slick
When technicians and mechanics lie like this guy did, it only reduces the entire industry’s integrity and does a disservice to the honest workers. People are already skeptical whenever they have to take their car in to get a repair or for upkeep.
It’s hard enough to have to be on guard for an upsell or outright lie every time you take a car in, but for someone to lie about your car without even trying to do the background check for your lie? That’s just lazy.
Click Here
We’re all guilty of it. Did you really read the agreement for cookies on every website you’ve visited? Did you read through the 20 pages of disclosures before you started playing that overpriced video game? Did you read every single line of your mortgage documentation? Did you study every line of your Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) at your dentist or doctor’s office?
No? Neither did we. But we claimed we did, and we signed (or clicked) on the dotted line. So, in the end, we’re all liars.
Where Credit is Due
Bad bosses take credit for other people’s work, especially if it’s an underling who’s not there to speak up. Someone does all the grunt work, and the person at the top takes credit for it. It’s not an intelligent thing to do, however, when everyone’s watching and can call you out on it.
Something tells us that it wasn’t the first time that guy took the credit for someone else’s work, and he wasn’t well-liked by most of the people there.
Some Like It Hot
We’re with the writer on this one. It’s not just a matter of driving up the utility cost; it’s also a waste of energy. At a time when we should all be thinking about decreasing our carbon footprint, this young lady is turning up the heat so she can walk around in her cutoffs like it’s spring break in her room.
Then to lie about the heater is just unbelievable! Maybe they should have stuck her with all of the heating bills instead!
Crying Wolf
It does a disservice to the people who actually struggle with epilepsy to pretend you have it. Not only that, but it’s just plain pathological. Why would you fake an epileptic seizure to get attention? There’s no reason for it. The troubling aspect is that if she really did have a seizure, people might disregard her and think she’s lying. They’ll chalk it up to one of her stunts instead.
When an emergency does happen, she won’t get the help she truly needs.
Hook Me Up
Obviously, these guys never worked in retail. At most stores, employees can’t use discounts for their friends and family unless approved by a supervisor. Even then, there are typically parameters on when they can get the deal and on what merchandise. So, it’s safe to say that these guys are not just lying; they’re clueless about what they’re lying about.
Although, you have to give them credit for trying to use this scam to buy books. Most people were at Walmart on Black Friday; they were in a bookstore.
Time Discrepancy
First, let’s consider the fact that the turnover rate at this school seems astronomical. Almost all new teachers? That’s unheard of. This principal is probably why that turnover rate is so high— someone this insistent and inflexible can be hard to work for. Also, why wouldn’t the principal check to see if what this teacher saying was correct?
It seems he simply thinks he’s always right. A little emotional intelligence and honesty might go a long way to keeping more teachers around.
Check Yourself
If you’re going to lie, you should do your research first. People can’t be bothered to confirm that their lie checks out. Instead, they’d rather just take their chances and see if the other person bites, which is what we think is happening in this case.
How many times do you think this woman has tried this gambit? We suspect that this is her norm, and she just likes to get free stuff.
Sharing Your Story
Some people are so desperate to be liked that they save stories in their heads, hoping to use them later and pretend it’s theirs. No matter what, it’s still lying because it didn’t happen to that person. And as with all lies, it’s hard to keep them straight when you tell so many of them.
This guy seemed to “borrow” people’s stories so often that he forgot who he poached the story from. Hope he learned a lesson when he got caught.
Lonely Boy
This is a sad situation. Although it’s wrong to lie about dating people, it’s pretty depressing. It means that this guy was lonely and insecure enough to make up a relationship rather than actually live his life and develop a real one with someone else. He’s creating his own story because he doesn’t have a real romance.
It doesn’t make his lie forgivable. His sad story doesn’t make what he’s doing excusable. But it does make what he’s doing incredibly depressing.
Not With the Band
Let’s hope this guy was drunk because there’s no excuse for this behavior. It’s embarrassing all-around. He wasn’t just NOT with any of the musical bands; he didn’t even know enough about the whole music festival scene to understand what the different wristbands and badges indicate.
And if he did know, it shows he assumed these girls didn’t know about the wristbands and wanted to take advantage of that. All in all, it makes his pickup a shady attempt.
Blame it On Daddy
No one wins in a divorce. Although it’s sometimes the only choice, it’s never a happy situation. Parents who manage to keep children out of the fray are commendable, but those are few and far between.
This ex-wife wanted to paint the children’s father in a bad light, even go so far as to lie about child support. But when people lie about you, one of the best things the other party can do is bring the receipts. This guy literally did!
The Best Around
People often lie to puff themselves up, thinking their lie makes them sound unique. It usually works until the other party decides to ask for details — as this person did.
Once you start to tear their lies apart, these people often get defensive and angry. Which makes us wish we knew what happened afterward. We bet the “author” tried to make some lame excuse about why he didn’t know his own character voices. This makes us wonder if he even wrote his own stuff!
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
It makes you wonder what makes people project their own downfalls onto other people as if saying it out loud will make it true. Especially in this case, where it could be a criminal issue because forcing yourself on someone is — if you don’t already know — against the law!
You’d think he’d be silent about the whole thing rather than being up the event. Instead, he brought it up himself and blamed the people trying to stop him. It’s baffling!
Dear Watson
Nothing feels as good as playing Sherlock Holmes when you’re a kid. Being a detective and catching criminals made you feel heroic. One of the best parts about Holmes is how he could detect if someone was lying.
It must have felt good for this child to solve the mystery on his own. Of course, just like the great detectives of the past, he used a combination of his brains and his gut to get to the bottom of things. Sherlock Holmes would be proud. Great sleuthing!
Ice-Cold Lie
What is it with lying to get free stuff? An ice-cream cone is worth about a buck fifty or so. The price is small enough that this guy could have probably checked under his couch cushions and had enough for five. Instead, he decided to lie.
Good job on the worker for calling him out on it. Besides, is this guy aware that the ice-cream machine at McDonald’s is always broken? Everyone knows that!
A Year Too Early
Driving a car isn’t easy. It’s not like playing Mario Kart, and it’s not bumper cars. Driving a car is so difficult that you need a permit to practice before you can get your license. And in most states in the U.S., you have to be at least 15 for your permit.
This means that you’re probably a freshman in high school before you can even attempt to get your permit. The numbers don’t add up. But it doesn’t matter to this girl because it seems that lying is in her nature.
Pearl Jelly
First, we’re going to forgive this guy for putting Pearl Jam in the same sentence as The Rolling Stones. After all, he didn’t really have his music game down. And we gotta give the other guy credit for “Stone Sessions” because it’s not a bad name for a band.
But when people start to lie about their interests, it can get ugly pretty quickly when they encounter someone who really knows their stuff. Like in this instance, where this liar got shut down fast.
Faking Talent
You can’t buy talent. You can’t practice talent, either. You either have it, or you don’t. So, we kind of understand the desire to pass off someone else’s talent as their own. It’s hard to swallow that someone else got a talent that you’ll never have, no matter how hard you try. But it doesn’t make lying about someone else’s work okay.
It actually makes you look horrible. Instead of being sour and stealing their work, try harder. Because there are those rare times when hard work surpasses talent.
Blowing Smoke
Smoking is hard to quit, even when you’re pregnant. Still, smoking and drinking alcohol when you’re pregnant isn’t ideal for the baby inside because the baby needs a healthy environment to develop. One in five babies who have mothers who smoke have low birth weight and other health problems.
We can see how it might be embarrassing to fess up that you’ve been smoking, but when it comes to a baby’s health, your embarrassment doesn’t trump the baby.
Being Objective
Sometimes it takes someone above your supervisor to call them out on sketchy behavior. A performance appraisal is based on precisely that, performance. You shouldn’t be biased or subjective, and the assessment must be accurate — people’s livelihoods depend on it. Most bosses know this, but a boss will lie every once in a while because their pettiness takes over.
Fortunately, in this case, someone higher than their boss pointed out the lies. It’s when someone at the top steps in to do the right thing!
It’s All On Camera
Dashcams don’t lie, but people do. Dashcams work wonders for people who didn’t do anything wrong. In this case, it showed what really went down during the car accident — and it wasn’t the way the other guy said it happened.
Unfortunately, the other guy decided to lie to a judge in court, which is, you know, against the law! We’re not sure why they thought lying in court would work, but the video got them into double the trouble. Yay for dashcams!
Typical Comcast
We’re going to attribute this one to some broke college kid who needed pizza money. They thought they could bully the Comcast service representative into giving in, but anyone who’s dealt with Comcast knows that their customers don’t matter!
Comcast is notoriously famous for its inflexible rules and regulations, and this guy has no idea who he’s dealing with. Many people with more honorable pleas have tried to reason with Comcast but to no avail. This guy was dealing with the wrong company.
Love and Marriage
Okay, that’s quite a story on so many levels. This woman’s husband was away for months, and she let her boyfriend live in the house while her husband was away? The place that her husband probably pays for? And then — like some old Jerry Springer show — she had to call the cops just to get her boyfriend to leave, and her husband springs the police report on her!
We feel like there’s more to this story. Like a baby and a DNA test. Or a second husband hidden somewhere. This woman lies for a living!
Lying to Your Face
Customer services representatives always get the worst liars. It’s as if people feel less hesitant about telling falsehoods when they can’t see the person’s face.
This story is an excellent example of how casually people will lie over the phone with customer service. They seem to think adding some anger and indignation will help make their lie work, but it only adds to their shame when they get caught. This case just goes to show that customer service reps deserve a raise!
Don’t Leave Me
Ah, the good old preggers lie. Not cool. Babies are a life-changing commitment that pushes people to restructure their lives and rethink their future. So, in short, pregnancy is nothing to lie about. Especially if you think it’s going to keep someone with you. Do you really want someone to stay with you out of obligation?
What happens when the false baby never appears? It’s a lie with huge repercussions, so it’s something to never lie about. Being pregnant is not something you should fake.
Magic Mike
Poor Mike, he didn’t even know what was coming. It was all the girl’s fault. But, still, trying to disappear (poof!) under the sheets isn’t exactly finding courage. We feel for Mike, who was probably feeling pretty big after his affair with the lying young lady. He’ll probably never forget the incident, and it probably didn’t do anything to help his self-esteem.
Mike apparently didn’t generate any loyalty or camaraderie with his roommates because they nonchalantly sold him out.
Proof of Consumption
As lies go, this is pretty innocent. The girlfriend lies to get her boyfriend off her back so she could continue working. But she chose the wrong fast-food restaurant. It’s nice that her boyfriend is so attentive that he knows whether she’s eaten or not. He even makes the extra effort to look in the trash for her wrappers.
Then he tries to deduct all the clues like some kind of Nancy Drew. It’s a good thing he’s a caring boyfriend because he’s got the makings of a stalker.
Not Motherly Behavior
This mom doesn’t sound very maternal. Nor does she sound very human. It’s incredible that her husband stayed with her all these years, even after knowing all she had done. Thank goodness this daughter could show her paperwork to prove her mother wrong, but it probably won’t change her mother.
And people in the family probably already know how horrible this woman is; they’ve likely seen it all before. We commend this daughter for staying sane despite having this person for a mom!
Dodged a Bullet
Yes, it’s definitely a gut-wrenching scenario to go through when someone you love cheats on you. It’s even more challenging when you learn they’ve been lying the whole time and being so cool about it. But it’s pretty nervy of his girlfriend to throw a fit.
She got angry at him, trashed his stuff, and acted crazy because she got caught. All because she had wanted to get married. It’s a good thing they didn’t. We’d say he dodged a bullet.
Staying Away
Make this a rule: Don’t go to your place of work if you call out sick. Even if you’re really not feeling well. And especially if you lied about being sick! First of all, if you have something infectious, you shouldn’t be at work.
Second, if you’re well enough to visit your job, you might as well be working. Lastly, you might see your boss. This girl got the latter, and she encountered the big boss no more minor.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
There’s small satisfaction in catching someone in a lie. But it’s even more satisfying when you find that the lie concerns you. When someone takes credit for your hard work, it can be like a kick in the stomach.
So, when you can call that person on their fib, it feels ten times better. It’s sad that people resort to taking credit for other people’s work, but it’s an excellent feeling when they get caught.
Autoshop Lies
Have you ever felt like bringing a lie detector anytime you have to get something done with your car? Even when you go in for a simple oil change, they come up with five things your vehicle needs to whet fixed.
Whether it’s your tire treads, filters, battery, or any other random car issue, it can sound like you’re being lied to all the time. And since most people don’t know anything about cars, it’s easy to fall for any lie.
Sleeping Beauty
It’s hard to believe a caregiver would drug a child to keep them quiet, but it happens. How heartless do you have to be to abuse a child and then drug them? No one expects a grandmother to drug their grandchild, either.
Grandmas are supposed to be patient and kind, willing to put up with any issues from their grandkids. But this Grandma doesn’t seem to fit that mold. Instead, we’ve got a lazy grandma who drugs her grandchild!
Career Chaos
Plagiarism is never acceptable, but this is outright illegal. At a professional level, plagiarism can cost you your job and legal fees. After all, it’s unlawful to promote professional works as your own, especially to further your career. If you’re found out, for example, you might get blackballed or judged.
You might even experience some stalling in your career because people can’t trust your work, and you’re a possible liability. What’s the lesson? Don’t plagiarize!
Pit-Stop
Maybe his sense of time was a little warped. Otherwise, this guy was straight-up lying. To expect a company to get a car fixed in less than half an hour is ludicrous, but to pretend that two hours has already passed is beyond the pale. Did he think his anger would be enough to make things speed up?
People who lie often show anger hoping people will be too afraid to call them out on their lies. This manager didn’t cower. Instead, he put the liar in his place.
It’s All for Free
The formidable indignation of a liar put to shame is always satisfying to see. What was this woman thinking? No employee gives high ticket items away for free because stores are in the business of making money, not losing it. Try walking into an Apple store and demanding to get something for free; it won’t happen.
Kudos to this supervisor, who was willing to put limits on this woman’s request. That’s how you deal with a problematic customer by setting limits on their outrageous demands!
Loose Lips
Bad bosses like to keep their workers apart to keep them from hanging up against their boss. Rather than instill an environment of inclusion and unity, they talk gossip about each worker. Looks like this boss meets that definition and isn’t above using restricted HR information to use as gossip.
Little did he know that his employees have loyalty to each other (they probably know what he’s like) and will support each other every time. That’s an excellent way to tackle a bad boss.
Serial Liar
Isn’t it exhausting living with a serial liar? Why even put up with it? This guy went through the effort of picking apart his girlfriend’s lie and having to try to reset a password to prove his point.
That’s a lot of work that could have been spent doing something fun — without all the stress and drama. He must have cut his losses, though. He called her his “ex-girlfriend,” so perhaps it got to be too tiring in the long run.
Toilet Paper Drama
We take toilet paper for granted. We only really notice how essential it is until we don’t have it anymore. So, maybe that’s why Dorthy (spelled correctly) stashed the TP in her dirty laundry (ew!) and lied about how it got there.
She was saving it for that one day where toilet paper would become scarce. Still, that’s no excuse for stealing — of all things — toilet paper. When you start thieving TP, you know you’ve got some issues.
Wait for It
Sometimes it’s better to stay calm than confront a liar in anger. This gentleman waited a few days and got his ducks in order before he called his wife out on her lie. That’s the best way to call someone out on their lie; point it out definitively and calmly. Think things through first.
And for people who are married, there’s a lesson in this. Don’t cheat on your spouse. But if you do decide to do something crazy like that, check your prenup first!
Public Shaming
Public shaming is the fear of all liars. People who lie ultimately care about what others think, especially when the liar is a public official. A politician’s clout lies in their reputation and the public’s perception of them, so it’s no surprise that politicians don’t want to be called out for their lies in public.
This person knew that the city councilwoman wouldn’t want to be called out for their lie over the radio, so this was the perfect venue to do it! Great idea!
Someone call Scientific American!
Who can honestly say they’ve never known someone like this? This sort of person is that rare nexus of laziness and entitlement – it’s not just that they don’t want to do their jobs, it’s that they actively resent others for getting legitimate time off.
Now, sometimes pulling this little stunt works. Other times… Well, other times you end up being known as the only dude in an otherwise all-female department who got a visit from his Aunt Flo. Really should’ve sat this one out, buddy.
That’s almost impressive
We don’t know what’s more mind-blowing in this story, to be honest. A casual glance would probably yield amazement at how awful the kid’s parents were for bringing him to daycare while covering up evidence that he clearly wasn’t well enough to go.
But really, the true uncut gem of this story has to be the fact that they went to the trouble of procuring a toddler-appropriate eyepatch to cover up his pink eye. Assuming this wasn’t around October, where did they even find one?
Don’t plagiarize 101
Woof, this one was almost physically painful to read. Just imagine the poor girl standing there, having been outed for her lie in front of her entire class, and being forced to carry on reading the plagiarized essay right to the grim end.
We mean, okay, she isn’t poor at all – it’s entirely her fault and she deserved it. But still, justice has never been quite this ruthless. We think given a choice between this and being expelled, she’d have probably taken being expelled.
The artist was W. Almart
For our money, the funniest thing about this particular story isn’t even that the woman got busted for not removing a sticker that completely outed her lie. It is a close second, mind you, but it isn’t the funniest thing.
No, the funniest thing has to be that she went to the trouble of concocting this ridiculous lie and maintaining her charade in the first place – all to get a free frame for a painting barely worth the canvas it was mass-produced on. Honestly, some people’s priorities…
Literally had his name on them
Anyone who’s ever gone to sporting events with any regularity can probably sympathize with this. Sure, the seats are clearly marked on tickets, but that doesn’t stop random jerks from deciding your seat is the absolute best and the one they simply can’t go on without sitting in.
Of course, in most such cases the actual owner’s name isn’t literally engraved onto the seat. In most cases, but apparently not in this one. What are the odds of the goons saying “Well, I don’t see your name on them” the one time his name was, in fact, on them. The universe works in mysterious ways.
That’s not how timezones work
You might consider this sordid experience a cautionary tale – what happens when you have so much, but it’s still not enough. The guy in question was a good pole vaulter. Scratch that, he was a GREAT pole vaulter, one of the best in his state.
But that wasn’t enough, so he had to cook up some cockamamie story about going to the Beijing Olympics. We checked, and Google was a thing in 2008, making his story easily verifiable. Naturally, getting caught did little to dampen his confidence, so he simply doubled down. We don’t know how he vaulted with grapefruits that size!
Vacation’s over
Hey, kids, you know what you shouldn’t do? Lie to your bosses about why you were absent from work. You know what you REALLY shouldn’t do? Lie to your bosses about why you were absent from work while you’re friends with one of them on social media.
This is a lesson this young woman unfortunately never learned. Seriously though, did she only realize she was going to Coachella 10 minutes before her shift began? They do say that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, but this might be an exception.
A swing and a miss
Ah, the delights and dangers of living in a small time. People from a bustling metropolis will never know the potential pitfalls of lying about someone famous who’s also from your neck of the woods.
We mean, the checker might have told this lie in New York City and no one would have batted an eye. Since they chose to do it in a relatively small town, though, karma made sure the person they told it to was the guy’s father. You’re not getting two more strikes, dude, you’re just out.
When ‘patients’ break bad
Even though it’s a pretty common medication to be prescribed to those suffering from severe or even moderate pain, we don’t think it’s quite THAT easy.
In other words, the lady in this story, and we use the term loosely, might have been better served waiting on her celebratory phone call until she actually had the stuff in hand. Also, the fact she claimed, apropos of nothing, that she wasn’t just trying to feed her habit didn’t do a lot to make her look innocent.
No big deal, just hundreds of lives at risk
While we are pretty pleased that the lying mechanic got outed and took it so badly that he had to quit, we’re kind of horrified at this story’s implications. Is it that easy for a mechanic to just get out of performing maintenance on planes?
It appears that lying was something of a habit for him, so this couldn’t have been the first time. Flying is already kind of scary when you think about it for half a second, so we really didn’t need the added damage of wondering whether the whole thing is going to fall apart on us mid-air.
Oh, she needs help alright
Someone once said that being stupid is a lot like being deceased – it only hurts the people around you. This is a classic example, as this woman wasn’t smart enough to figure out that calling in sick was okay, but calling in sick with a failed kidney probably wasn’t.
Nevertheless, the lie might have somehow been maintained if she didn’t show up to work within a few days of having major, life-altering surgery. Asking to go home, and then threatening the sue for justifiably being fired are just the cherries on top this trash bag sundae.
She was about to get a real one
How badly do you need attention, on a scale of one to this girl? Seriously, we all like to feel important, but most of us wouldn’t lie about someone finding us so objectionable that they physically assaulted us.
You wouldn’t think that would do much for her reputation, but it was apparently worth a shot. What definitely was not worth a shot was agreeing to have the makeup remover rubbed on her face. We mean, she knew it was makeup… What did she think would happen?
Wasn’t as amicable as he thought, apparently
Well, right off the bat we can tell what this (ex-)husband’s first mistake was – sharing a lawyer. There is no such thing, no exceptions. In any legal case, but a hundred times so in case of divorce, you need your own lawyer.
Why? Because your interests are your own, and if they perfectly aligned with your future ex-spouse’s then you guys wouldn’t be getting a divorce, now would you? Luckily, the universe was kind enough to teach this guy that lesson without it costing him thousands of dollars.
Sheer spite
To be fair, we don’t know the details of every single interaction this person had with their ex-manager. Maybe they had a beef over something, or the manager simply didn’t like them. Whatever the case, once they were gone, taking the high road should probably not have been out of the question.
After all, they weren’t even permanent employees, so why not just let them leave and collect unemployment? Only the manager knows the answer to that question, and we’re betting they really regretted the one they came up with after that phone call.
Totally worth it
Sometimes, expending considerable effort and resources on something that might seem of lesser importance is completely justifiable.
This woman, for example, made it her own personal crusade to systematically and methodically take down every single lie her ex-husband told, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant. We imagine it wasn’t cheap, but then again, you can’t really put a price on the satisfaction of seeing his face in that moment, can you? We bet even his lawyers were secretly impressed.
