After listening to someone who is clearly lying to me, that little voice inside my head will tell me to either leave the conversation as soon as possible or call this guy out on his lie. It's at that point that I weigh my options and try to decide if it's worth it to start up a confrontation or to walk away and never talk to that person again.
It depends on the situation I guess, but I do think we should all call out someone who is clearly trying to fool us by lying about just about everything that comes out of their mouth. It is not just about us when someone is lying, it's also about that person getting away with their lie and continuing on their way, lying to everyone they meet.
When you meet someone and they are wearing a jacket that they bought in the 80s and their clothes have the odd food stain on them, and they tell you that their Ferrari is in the shop getting a nitrous kit installed in it, it's time to ask some questions."Oh, you have a Ferrari, where did you buy it?" "How much did it cost?" "What shop is it in?" "When is it going to be finished?" "What are you driving now?" "Where do you work?"
I guarantee this person is going to stumble on these questions unless they actually have a Ferrari. The work question is great because if they say they work at McDonalds you know they are full of shit. If they claim to work at a large corporation as the senior accountant this is also bullshit. You could ask more questions but at this point just say that you don't believe them and walk away.
Some people are impressed if they meet someone who is well off and has the toys to prove it, other people prey on this knowledge and pretend to be big shots themselves. I am not impressed with braggarts and will not waste my time with them and it doesn't matter how much money you have.
Not every lie is about money, some lies are to invoke pity, so that others are nicer to them. It doesn't matter who or what it is about, what matters is that someone is trying to take advantage of you in some way and it needs to stop. We get lied at in order for someone to sell us something, or to feel sorry for them, or to be impressed and envy them, but if we all stood up these types of people and said "I call Bullshit." Maybe the world would be a better place.
Scott Goerz
