Have You Ever Lied Online? Tell me why people would lie online

[velma 6]

Hey,I just want to see how many people have lied online. You can give your reasons why you lied.... I totally agree that I lie on the net but it is for my security like age,name and location.I used to when I used to chat online but now I dont answer the question itself.Ever heard of people writing lies on the net to make themselves feel better and look more "heroic". Once I had made a fake id so that I could talk to people without them realizing who it was that they were talking to. Many days passed without any incidents but then came a really great day when one of my friends came online and accepted my invitation to chat with him. I thought I would just screw around with him and then just tell him the truth but to my amusement and horrorThat guy lied to me about his location,age and the fact that was the funniest was that he made himself the lead guitarist and singer of a band that was leaded by a family friend of mine.That was hilarious but very disappointing though. What if the person in front of you is nice but then lies like crazy to make himself/herself look superior or something of that sorts???????

[Watermonkey 0]

I suppose it's something most everyone has done at one time or another. I can't think of any specific examples of lying, myself, though. I'm not female, though, so I don't have much reason to lie. I completely understand why some females lie online, but only about their gender and/or location. Of course the first lies turn into other lies which turn into more lies and sooner or later you're found out. I find it much easier to simply tell the truth because then you don't have to remember any of the lies you told. I find it most amusing when people lie about their profession and tell the truth about their age when they're only in their early 20's or so and the profession would require many more years. Or another good one is when they lie about their location but when you look up their IP it's coming from another place in the world altogether. If there's anything I'm asked that I don't want to tell a truthful answer to, I'd simply tell them I'm not comfortable divulging that sort of information to an online personality. There's the occasional L.E.O. that comes through here trolling for perverts claiming he's a 14 y.o. boy or girl that I've seen twice now. They're pretty easy to spot too and you'd have to be a totally depraved sick stupid weirdo to fall for them which is why they'd deserve to get caught! I don't even lie about being unemployed for cryin' out loud! When I become employed, you'll all know it because I won't have time to post here as often! Either way, once the weather gets better I'll be doing more outdoors stuff which will limit my computer activities too...I know of three people who lie (or have lied) to make themselves appear significantly different then they are in real life on Xisto.com. I spotted them in good time and they're obvious so I'll not divulge their identities, anyone can finger it out for themselves by simply reading their posts or shouts.

[seez 0]

yes, I have lied online.... I lie online just as I lie in the real world, maybe more. I lie more online because: ok so email and IM aren't trustworthy - people can copy and paste and forward your emails to other people. I've gotten in trouble five times for misusing email in this way, like when I say "I don't like so-and-so." Then I get in trouble, so now I say "I like so-and-so." In this way I lie and I don't get in trouble.... sorry ppl but that's how email works. My mom reccomended this way to me and it works, its cheap and I guess in a way I'm taking the easy way out but... oh well, I guess that's how life is. I have to lie on email alot.I guess though that it's easy to lie online, you can see what I mean. and lying online just turns into more and more (etc.) lies... and of course people lie sometimes when some freak asks them personal questions or something, they either lie or log off and tell their parents who of course then dont trust them anymore.... it goes on and on.

Edited April 9, 2007 by seez (see edit history)

[arnz 0]

Chat rooms who knows what ppl may actually be, considering a person could just jump on and say "blond hair, blue eyes, slim build, long legs,etc" and they are really of the "overweight, glasses, etc". It may be easier to lie online when under a situation (eg some old freak asking really personal like questions and so forth).. but then again it, some has seem to go too far with things. One good case that happened recently was a 'popular' person in a chatroom goes on about a "relatives" death. Only to be found out it didnt actually happen (via website, accident reports, etc). That person involved eventually left before it got banned.

[JasperIk 0]

I don't like lying, the only time i lie is when someone is on that i don't like, or don't trust and they want to talk, i'll say 'oh...sorry i was just leaving...' but i do that in a way offline too so... Same with when i put my away sign on msn, i'm usually not really away, so in a sense that is lying. I started using the net for chats and boards when i was older so its not like i had to lie about my age, and as for location i just say california, i never get out my city, or at least try not to. I hate when people pressure me into telling them something, thats usually when i stop talking to them, because WHY is it so important to know my city and school- and last name? It isn't. Usually my lies are just about why i was offline (i say i was busy, but really i was just avoiding that person).

[FolkRockFan 0]

I tend to avoid questions rather than lie. Example: if I'm chatting online with somebody and s/he wants to know where I'm from, I give a general region. East/Central Texas. I don't necessarily want just anybody knowing anything more specific than that.However: I'll be honest about my age and stuff like that. I figure that, if somebody doesn't want to talk to me because I'm too young or whatever, then that's his or her loss. And being honest about that sort of thing from the beginning prevents a lot of wasted time (both the other person's and mine).But then again, I prefer directness and honesty in all areas of life. I figure that it's a lot easier to keep the truth straight than it is to remember which story I've told to which person

[Plenoptic 0]

Sometimes I lie online just to have fun with people. Like those looking for guys online or something on a game I'll get them going and then just laugh away after I leave. I do also lie about info sometimes when they ask for a name and address just to view a forum or a site because there is no need for it. They'll just mail you crap you don't need and you never know who you are sending your information to. You hear stories all the time of people with online relationships with a person they think are a nice and caring person but then they knock on your door and rape or kill you.

[Spyda 0]

I always lie online even on Xisto I've lied about my age, but thats it just on trap. Some people lie a lot online. They say they are athletes and work out and all this other B.S when really they are obese and are online for half their lives. So i say what the hell lie your *bottom* off online just don't do it in real life.EDIT: Grammar problems, this was an old post*

Edited January 26, 2008 by bk2070 (see edit history)

[t3jem 0]

I lie online about my age and location and stuff, especially when signing up for accounts on websited, I won't give my full name, i'll give a false location and I'll make myself older for security reasons. But I don't lie about my profession or anything to make myself look better. I don't agree with lieing so I don't think its right to lie about profession and stuff even online, but I can understande lieing to be secure; however, if I were chatting with someone I've never met in real life, and they asked me sensitive information I just wouldn't tell them.

[possible123 0]

I lie online about my age and location and stuff, especially when signing up for accounts on websited, I won't give my full name, i'll give a false location and I'll make myself older for security reasons. But I don't lie about my profession or anything to make myself look better. I don't agree with lieing so I don't think its right to lie about profession and stuff even online, but I can understande lieing to be secure; however, if I were chatting with someone I've never met in real life, and they asked me sensitive information I just wouldn't tell them.

Same here. Lying on the internet is acceptable and recommended to some degree, but don't take it too far.

I have lied too much and I have learned it the hard way. Now, I just avoid questions or try to confuse who's asking it.
For example, if somebody wants to know my age, I'll give them a complex equation and tell them that the answer they get is my age. I even lie then, if I think that the person asking is capable of completing the equation properly.

I give a latitude and longitude region for my location, as untrustworthy people don't have maps ( from my personal experience, only nice people can figure out my location that way ).

[velma 6]

I know what all of you mean but why do people lie online to make themselves look so great? I mean what kind of a complex do they have that they have to lie their arses of..... Anyway The same is with me, I usually ignore a personal question or just tell them bluntly that I do not wish to divulge any secretsI have heard of cases where guys prey on girls through the net, That is pathetic,Also the people who take naked pics of people using the webcam.But the thing is creepy when the person you know lies a lot for it makes you trust them a bit less.I mean a bit of harmless fun is alright but it should be told not increased and make people distrust you.Thanks for the cool responses.

[Arbitrary 0]

Same here. Lying on the internet is acceptable and recommended to some degree, but don't take it too far.

Yeah, I agree. For the most part, I don't see the point of selling to online advertising firms my address, phone number, and numerous other pieces of information for free. It's better to lie to them than it is to be burdened with mass mailings/emailings of advertisements, and most of these organizations don't really need to contact me to accomplish whatever I want them to do.
Usually for locations I give a pretty vague location--like I'd say I'm in the United States, which is the truth but doesn't really get stalkers anywhere. There are some sites that ask for zip codes and actually check the random number I enter for accuracy. For those I just Google a random city and paste the zip code that shows up.

For age, though, I tend to be more honest. I guess I just find that age isn't a big identifying factor for stalkers--it's hard to track someone down with only their age and a very vague location. There are hundreds and thousands of people in a certain country with that very age, after all. For that same reason I don't really bother lying about my gender either--it's too general to pinpoint anyone down. At the same time though, if people don't ask, they're not going to get an answer, so I often end up with a mistaken gender.

Personally, in most cases I see nothing wrong with lying on the internet. Now, if you're a trusted news source or someone of that caliber, then we've got a problem. But if you're just talking to another unknown person, it's not a huge deal. Security is probably more important than just a random stranger you meet who decides to become your "friend".
Edited April 12, 2007 by Arbitrary (see edit history)

[hitmanblood 0]

I have just one word I have never lied to person online that is in some chat room just never I would rather not reviel some information instead of lying. But in the case of application forms for certain service for which I am hundred procent certain that it want misuse my personal data I have sometimes bended truth a bit, as probably we all did it a matter of personal security and a way of protection against identity theft.

[techclave 0]

I do not want to lie here by saying i haven't lied online !!Yeah, lying probably is inevitable. But you can definitely cut down the extent of how much you do lie !!! You cannot avoid lying to a certain degree on several occasions. I believe the stealth mode available in yahoo messenger is a great example. You may lie to your boss you are working on your projecy and actually be doing something else , totally off topic. And , what about making new friends on the internet. I really think, you cannot put your trust on someone , unless or until you get to know him /her in person. What a user generally presents on the internet, is a virtual image of him. It may not be the real him. It usually seems to be what he wants to be , rather than what he is .

[csp4.0 1]

I have lied about my exact location, but only to very dodgy websites that require your address for some reason, like If my address was 94 Baker st, ST Mirvin, Hamilton, New Zealand, I won't say that, just a New Zealand would be fine