30+ Times People Exposed and Stopped Liars in Their Tracks

People lie for many reasons, but not everyone gets away with it. Some folks regret giving out deceiving statements when they get caught. They wish they could go back in time and speak the truth.

Lying is a habit that many people develop during their early years. Whether they want to hide their exam results from their parents or devise an excuse to take a day off from school, they use deception to achieve their goals.

Some people break out of their lying habit as they age, while others continue hiding the truth to their advantage. A few Redditors shared how they called people out for lying and what happened when these people realized their lies wouldn't work anymore.

Comments have been edited for clarity and grammar.

1. The Dishonest Caller

u/purplemonkey55: When I worked at a fast food joint, someone called in during the opening shift while we were still prepping everything for the day.

He complained that the service was terrible and his order was wrong when he visited us earlier that day. I asked him when he had come in, and he said about half an hour ago.

I said, "Oh, that's weird because we don't open for another 45 minutes." He just hung up without saying a word.

2. That's My Artwork

u/BlatantBlunt: I once had a graphic designer apply for a post using my artwork in his portfolio. I asked him about the work and the thought process behind the designs before I showed him the originals and the door.

3. That Was Unexpected

u/gjallard: I got dumped by my long-time (7+ years) girlfriend on February 6, 2007. She begged me to stay friends, but suddenly, I was no longer welcome at her house.

Moreover, she hung up on our conversations when the kids entered the room. Then, she announced she had a new boyfriend on March 24.

I cut all contact, and there was no need for a lawyer because we were not married. We didn't have Facebook, so there was no need to delete her.

We eventually joined Facebook, but I blocked her so she doesn't see me. On January 26, 2010, she announced how wonderful her 3rd-anniversary dinner was with her boyfriend. Do the subtraction: BUSTED!

4. Where's the Radiator?

u/wintertash: A lube tech at a Jiffy Lube tried to convince me that I needed a radiator service on a car that didn't have one.

He even showed me a PH strip to "prove" that the fluid had gone acidic. I told him if he could show me the radiator, I'd cheerfully pay for the service.

When he opened my car's trunk (where most cars keep their hoods), the look on his face was pretty priceless.

5. No Winners in Divorce

u/RonSwansonsOldMan: My ex-wife told my kids I didn't pay child support regularly. Fortunately, I laid out every receipt for the past three years, showing I had made every payment on time or early. But I wouldn't say triumphant. There are no winners in divorce.

6. The Timing Belt

u/angrylawyer: I finished replacing my timing belt very late one night. I was too tired to change the oil before the car show the next day, so I just stopped at a quick lube place to have them do it (I already had the oil and filter).

I was crouching in front of my car, watching them to ensure they used the filter and oil I gave them. That's when they started poking around at my engine, and one of the guys told me my belts looked pretty bad.

"Oh, yeah? Which belt?" I asked him, and he replied, "Your timing belt is pretty worn out. If that breaks, it could cause serious engine damage."

I looked at him and said, "Oh wow, is it that bad? It's only got about 12 miles on it since I replaced it last night!"

7. My Father's Conversation with Another Woman

u/[deleted]: I found out that my dad was cheating on my mom. First, he said he was going on a business trip for a week or two, then forgot his initial lie and mentioned something else that made me realize he was hiding something.

As a result, I went on his Facebook and found some juicy texts between him and another woman. My father was kicked out of the house after this incident, and I didn't speak to him for a year.

Now, my father and I have started normalizing our relations, but I will never forgive him for being unfaithful to my mother. She loved him dearly.

8. The Seats

u/jhp58: I went to a Chicago Bears game in the early 1990s with my childhood best friend and his grandfather, who had had season tickets to the Bears for a long time.

When we got to the seats (which were in a superb location), we saw four guys sitting in Grandpa's seats.

My friend's Grandpa told them, "Guys, you are in our seats. Can you please move?" One of the guys was rude and said the seats belonged to him and his friends.

Grandpa said they were wrong and needed to move, to which one guy replied, "Oh, yeah? I don't see your name on them, so go away!"

Grandpa pointed to the seatback on the seat nearest to him, which had an engraved nameplate with Grandpa's name on it, the same as all the other seats.

He got them engraved since he had the same seats for so long. It was amazing watching these four guys stammer and walk away.

9. He Tried to Cover Up

u/genericname400: I created a binder with forms and templates for my company's hotel. I highlighted and wrote explanations on everything.

About a month later, I went to the property to assist with some things, and the GM brought out the binder and said, "Yeah, I just put this together as a tool for us here."

I immediately told him, "No, you didn't. I made that and gave it to you". His face went white as he tried to cover up, saying, "Well, I added a few things." He didn't. I loved the look on my colleagues' faces when I returned to the office and told them about it!!

10. I Caught Her Lie

u/twlohaliyah: A girl I go to school with did everything she could for attention. She walked into class one day with a bruise on her cheek, claiming someone punched her in the face at a party.

Fast forward a few days, and we were both at a mutual friend's house. She still had the "bruise" and didn't stop talking about it and trying to make us feel bad for her.

Upon looking a little closer, I saw that the "bruise" was slightly sparkly. It was obviously makeup. I said I had something to put on bruises to make them heal faster, and the girl agreed to try it out.

What I had was a makeup remover. I put some on a cotton pad, and the bruise was gone with one swipe.

At first, she tried to keep the lie going, saying, "Wow! That stuff really works!" and such, but then she gave up and stormed out of the house, throwing a fit.

11. She Lied on the Radio

u/danyelviana: Once, I called out a councilwoman lying on the radio. She lied about something I had worked on (public servant here), saying it was her idea. I called the radio station by giving a fake name and called her out.

12. The Supervisor Didn't See It Coming

u/Spooty03: On a conference call, a supervisor took credit for all the work in a cross-departmental project. He wasn't even a part of the project; his subordinate, Craig, was.

I called him on it in front of about 40 people. I said that even Craig didn't do any work. The show's real star was Leslie, the intern assigned to help us since she did 75% of the work.

The supervisor got fired several months later for some other issues. Soon, many people on the call reached out to me, saying what I did was incredible.

13. She Was Deceiving People Online

u/chibit: A girl from high school added me on Facebook. I looked through her profile to see what she was up to, as it had been a few years.

Apparently, she was pregnant with twins (at least three posts a day about how she was feeling being pregnant, going to buy baby clothes, having ultrasounds). She had also put up some ultrasound pics.

This girl has always elaborated on the truth, inventing boyfriends and other stories to make her life seem more interesting.

Because of her track record, I was suspicious (and bored), so I reversed image-searched the ultrasound pictures and found them on a stock photography site in a few minutes!

I joked about this discovery to some mutual friends but forgot about it. Some more pictures go up a few weeks later, again taken from somewhere else.

It was kind of making me angry as she was fooling all these well-meaning people, giving her advice and sympathy, including a woman who was unable to have kids.

I did think about calling her out on it to everyone publicly, but I thought she was probably in need of psychiatric help for her to create such elaborate lies for so long.

I privately messaged her, and she admitted she was lying and told me she was seeking help and getting medication for it (probably also lies).

She then told me the only way to fix the problem was to pretend she had a miscarriage, which I saw her post on Facebook. A few weeks later, she removed all the posts referring to the babies.

I left it at that, and now she has blocked my access to her page, so I guess she doesn't want me calling her out on stuff again.

14. The Missing Sunglasses

u/Waronmymind: I went on a trip with some close friends. One of the girls (girl A) couldn't find an expensive pair of sunglasses and was upset as she knew she hadn't lost them outside.

She felt one of the girls (girl B) had taken it, but she had already denied seeing them. I started packing up the car when Girl A suddenly demanded Girl B open up her luggage to look for the sunglasses.

Girl B got irritated, saying why would anyone think she took them (we all had a feeling she did). After a few minutes of crying, she opened up her bag, and wouldn't you know, Girl A's sunglasses were right there. Seeing everything unfold was delicious, but it was an awkward car ride home.

15. She Lied about Her Condition

u/kneedlesslyweird: When I was in high school, a girl lied about having cancer. I had watched my mother go through the same cancer she claimed to have, and while people's cancers can be different, the treatments are the same for this type.

She didn't lose her hair or a single pound but was apparently stage four and going to Mexico for experimental treatment. I called her out.

Everyone told me I was a monster, and some mutual friends refused to speak to me for daring to call her out.

About a year later, she wrote them all (and me) super long apology letters detailing her lies—there were many.

I have never felt as satisfied as the day I got that letter because I received an apology from her and all my old friends who contacted me to apologize.

It was a year later, and therefore, all the more beautiful to have those people go out of their way to correct their mistakes. When I think of her now, I wish nothing but the best for that girl.

16. The Habitual Liar

u/rotorRat: I'm a pilot and had a habitual liar as a mechanic, so you can see how I was in a bad position.

There are maintenance items that you can extend the time on them and some you cannot. He tried to pass off an inspection as having an extension, saying he "just read it in the manual."

So, I told him he needed to show me. My scheduled flight was on hold until he could find it. About 30 minutes later, he said he couldn't find it. Huh! It's funny how he just read it in the manual.

I grounded the aircraft, and my boss called me angrily. I explained what had happened, and my boss said, "You caught him, huh?" It felt so good to catch him in a lie, finally.

He quit because he couldn't stand it. On his last day, I told him, "You know we could have gotten along if you didn't lie to me." He couldn't even respond. See ya!

17. I Need an Upgrade

u/vet_tech: I used to work at a hotel, and one day, a rather mean woman insisted we upgrade her for free to a better room since it was vacant.

She could tell the room was empty because it was poolside, and she could see through the patio door it was vacant. She thought she might as well enjoy it if no one else was…

I politely explained that I could not do that since it was a busy weekend and the room would likely sell.

Well, that night after work, I went and got my hair chopped off from mid-back length to bob and looked like a completely different person.

So, I went to work the next day, and this lady was still there. She approached me and started asking the same thing she asked me the previous day.

So, I again explained why I could not do that, and she said, "Well, I talked to Brittany (me) yesterday, and she told me it wouldn't be a problem to upgrade today."

I'm the only Brittany who worked there. She remembered my name from my name tag and tried to pull a fast one, but she didn't recognize me because of my new haircut. It was close to the most significant moment of my life when I informed her of her mistake.

18. My Employer

u/nymphaetamine: 10 years ago, I got laid off and applied for unemployment. I received a denial letter stating that my former employer claimed I was fired for 'disciplinary reasons,' which was 100% NOT true.

When I appealed the denial, the unemployment officials organized a phone call with their rep, me, and my former manager.

The rep asked me to tell my side, which I did. I said I was let go and given no reason other than that my assignment was over (it was a temp job).

I had never been disciplined, written up, or even so much as warned about anything during my time there, and if my performance had been unsatisfactory, I had never been made aware.

She then asked the manager if what I said was true. The manager was quiet for a second and then squeaked, "Yeah, I suppose that's about right." She had to admit she lied, and I got my unemployment.

That's what you get for trying to make your employees look bad. This same temp agency tried to withhold pay from me once and kept feeding me excuses about the check being in the mail until I finally filed a wage claim with the labor department.

Then, three days later, I magically had my check. They didn't expect to get caught because most people don't fight stuff like this, but it was satisfying to call them out and win.

19. Plagiarism

u/[deleted]: I catch my students plagiarizing something every month. I'm in China, and this happens quite frequently.

Whenever I notice it, I never let them get away with it. I remember one girl was adamant that she wrote something and went on this adventure in Tibet and stuff.

I looked up her work online and found the source pretty quickly. I confronted her about it and said that unless she told me she worked for the travel company that wrote it, she would get a 0. She got a 0.

20. The Author Couldn't Recognize His Characters

u/The_Good_Count: Another author was bragging to me that their characterization and voicing were why they were so good. I took a full page of dialogue from their latest work, editing out the names.

Then, I asked him to tell me which of the characters was which. He could not. Bonus points? It was a romance. The dialogue was between the two leads.

21. Fake Claims

u/HeatherMarMal: A guy I know used to make up these ridiculous stories. According to him, he made a program that Sun bought for $2.5 million.

He claimed he had created a hovercraft tank that you can control with your computer and sold it to the military for $7 million, and many other insane things that have made him millions of dollars.

As he told me about the robot he sold to the US government for $1 million, I asked him why he always asked for coffee money from our friends. He never told one of those lies to me ever again.

22. Pay For Your Lies!

u/Memfy: A friend and I were playing a team-based shooter game with some guy we know. As we lost the round, the guy blamed us for not attacking with him and that we were hiding behind while he was alone dying there.

We both called him out on that, but my friend took it a step further. After the game, he went back and recorded the replay of that round and created a short video edit in the style of those MLG edits.

The video showed the guy hiding alone while we were all dead from attacking without him. Then, he sent the video link to the entire group and a few other friends who usually played with us.

23. Things Took a Turn for the Worse

u/[deleted]: This isn't someone else, but a lie I told. As a kid, I played hooky from school once, and I called in to inform them I was sick.

I pretended to be my father and used my best impression of him, which worked. I had duped the school secretary.

So, I spent that whole day in town, just messing around with some friends who left school during study halls, and I went to get some ice cream.

While eating my ice cream, I got a call from one of my classmates. I placed my cone in my shirt pocket, which was secure enough to carry, and answered the call.

I realized my classmate sounded a bit worried. She told me that my uncle had recently returned from military duty for two years in Afghanistan and that he had shown up during my English class to surprise me. Upon learning that I was sick, he left to visit the house.

I panicked and ran to get on my bike, forgetting that my ice cream was still in my shirt pocket. I thought I could meet my uncle at my house before he got there if he had just left school.

I pedaled my hardest, going faster on my bike than ever before. I rounded the last block and was almost home when I saw him walk out of the house, disappointed.

I thought I could fib my way out of this situation, so as I approached, I was prepared to tell him I was out getting orange juice.

Who steps out of the house next? My mother and father. They were both ready to surprise their "sick" son, wondering how he managed to get melted ice cream all over his nice collared shirt on a school day.

24. I Had Only Offered a Discount

u/03throwaway03: At my job recently, a woman claimed I had promised her something for free, but I only offered her a significant discount.

She came in demanding it for free, and I refused. Then, she claimed she had a recording of me saying it was free.

I don't know what her end game was, but if I had made a mistake of what I said badly enough, I would honor it. I asked her to play the recording, but she refused because 'I was being difficult.'

She had the guts to ask for my boss's number and the number of my boss's boss so she could complain about me not honoring a product for free (valued at around $400) and thought they would side with her.

25. The Imaginary Band

u/joseadan88: I met this guy who wanted to join my band, and he was a huge "Pearl Jam" and "Rolling Stones" fan.

So, I asked him If he was a fan of the band "Stone Sessions." It was a band I had made up on the spot.

He told me he had every one of their albums. The look on his face was priceless when I told him I made up the band.

26. The Faulty Rent Statement

u/bobd785: I was in college, and my apartment had a set amount we would pay for utilities each month regardless of what the actual bills added up to.

During one of the months, our rent statement showed that the utility portion was way higher, so I took it to the leasing office to get it fixed.

The very rude manager tried to tell me that they never put set amounts in their leases and that we had to pay what the actual bills were each month.

I asked her why we had never done that before, and she couldn't answer but told me she couldn't change it.

So, I walked back to my apartment, got my lease, came back, and showed her the part where it says we are supposed to pay a set amount every month.

The look on her face was priceless, and she just said very quietly that she would adjust our rent and ensure we were only charged the set amount each month.

27. Our Family Owns the Business

u/atworkandwanttoreply: One time, my family's company was throwing a company Christmas party at an upscale restaurant in NYC.

We were in a private room upstairs, but it wasn't like there was security or anything like that, so anyone could and eventually did come upstairs to mooch.

Anyway, I was there with several family members, having a good time, enjoying some food and drinks, and getting to know people in the company.

I was sitting at a table with several employees I had just met and two of my cousins who worked with them when two guys came to our table and introduced themselves.

They were professionally dressed and were quite friendly. They started asking people what they do, flirted with several of the girls at the table, and tried to act pretty alpha (they asked me what I did, which was graphic design at the time, and kind of laughed at my career choice).

So, being a few drinks in, I asked what they do at the company, and they said that their family owns the business.

I looked at the two of them, sipped my drink, and said, "Oh, really? I must have missed you at the last family reunion.

By the way, I'm Theodore [Company's Name]. It's nice to meet you. The look on their faces was priceless. They put down their drinks and just walked out.

28. She Had No Idea I Was Watching Her

u/UnklTunkl: While working at a smaller pet store, I watched someone shove cans of cat food into her purse. Not your Friskies, but like $3 cans of high-end cat food.

I walked up and asked if she found what she needed. She replied that we didn't have what she needed, unfortunately.

Then, I pointed to the security camera about five feet away and asked if she wanted to answer that question again. She threw the cans at me and ran out of the store. I never saw her again.

29. My Computer Is Infected!

u/Drakemir: While working at Best Buy at the Geek Squad, I saw a customer get loud with one of my agents.

I went out front to see what was happening, and I saw a father and daughter yelling at one of my agents for installing viruses on their brand-new computer that they had only bought a day earlier.

I took over for my agent, and the father was chewing me out about how they never went online on that computer.

He claimed when they powered it on, it was infected with some Fake AV, and there was NO WAY they would pay for removal. He said that we infected the computer when we gave it to them.

The daughter was adamant that she had NEVER surfed anywhere before powering it on that day to install her AV software.

While they were yelling at me, I located the cause of the infection in the daughter's temp files, showing that it was downloaded late that night.

I also pulled up her internet history, showing a ton of surfing to some shady sites and other sites like Facebook.

I spun the computer around and showed the father the information. He looked at me, looked at his daughter, and handed me his credit card without saying a word.

30. Exposing the Compulsive Liar

u/[deleted]: A coworker of mine is a compulsive liar. One day, OSHA was in our building checking things out.

That coworker came by and said that one guy got busted for not wearing safety glasses. A few minutes later, that guy who got "busted" came near our area.

Curious, I asked him about it, and he denied that it happened. I then told the guy that the compulsive liar told me he got busted.

Then, the compulsive liar said he never told me that, and I called him out in front of about five other people.

31. My Friend Lied to Me

u/[deleted]: When I was young, I had these tiny magnetic figures (not sure what they are called). So, I was at a friend's house and had just bought a new pair. When I was about to go home, I noticed one was missing.

I got sad and asked my friend if he had seen it. He said no. But I knew he was a liar, so I searched his pockets.

I found it in his back pocket, and he said, "I didn't know it was there. It must have been my brother." I felt like a detective afterward.

32. The Internet Cafe

u/Teatmilk: When I worked at an internet cafe, we had these cards that would give you a free all-day pass for around $15.

One night, I was closing the store. When I counted the money in my drawer, it was $15 short. I remembered getting one of those cards and setting it on the counter that night.

Almost all the people who stayed that late were regular customers who would hang out after the store closed.

So I asked them if they had seen it or maybe taken it accidentally and explained that if I couldn't find it, they could take $15 out of my check. No one admitted to taking it.

We had a camera that pointed directly at the counter, and we could access it whenever we wanted. I backed up the camera to when I was counting and saw myself leave the card on the counter.

Then, a while later, one of the customers walked up, saw me with my back turned, pocketed the card, and walked outside.

I saw he was still outside, so I paused the footage when he put his hand on the card and called him in.

When he got inside, I just pointed at a screen. After watching the footage, he pulled the card out of his pocket and started apologizing.

I called him out, saying that's my money he tried to steal basically. He was a usual customer and somewhat of a friend, so it was kind of weird at that time but was pretty damn funny afterward.

I learned after that to count the money on the counter in the back instead of where the customers could reach.

33. Quitting My Job

u/serenidade: I quit after working as a preschool teacher and had a phone hearing to dispute my denied unemployment.

My reasons for leaving were numerous, such as the fact that I'd been sick for months being around the little kids but had no insurance. That is what's known as a 'workplace hazard,' and not one that qualifies for unemployment.

My employer also shorted my paycheck twice and promptly failed to pay me the missing amount. We were paid once per month, and both times, I was short an entire week's pay.

I had her sign my pay stubs both times, specifying the discrepancy. It took her over a week to pay me the remainder both times, which at one point meant I was almost late with rent.

In the hearing, she disputed that she had done this, then changed her story and said perhaps it had happened once.

The judge was incredulous. He asked her if she had the evidence I had submitted to her and the unemployment office before the hearing.

Yes, she admitted. That evidence was my signed pay stubs. And that concluded the hearing. It was indeed glorious.

34. Stealing a Sweatshirt

u/ayohriver: One time, when I was working retail, I had returned from a break, so I was holding coffee, and my purse was on my shoulder. Basically, I looked like a regular customer.

I walked into the store behind these two kids, who were probably 12 years old, and I could tell they were up to no good.

I pretended to be shopping, acting like I wasn't watching them. One of the kids went to the back of the store, but the other one picked up a sweatshirt and tried to exit without setting off the alarm (by putting it through this little window).

I walked up behind him while he was doing this and whispered in his ear, "What are you doing?" He got flustered and tried to talk his way out of it by saying he was trying to show it to his friend outside the mall.

It was evident he was lying, so I didn't say a word. Instead, I stared into his soul until he and his friend left the store terrified. It was a good day.

35. Bad Artwork

u/TheBlackShuckk: Someone on a Discord server regularly posted considerably bad-quality artwork. Then suddenly, they posted a picture of a fox and dragon that looked very nice.

I asked them why they suddenly seemed so good, and they claimed they had been posting artwork from back in 4th grade.

First of all, there was no mention of them posting anything in 4th grade previously. Second, I recognized the dragon in the picture.

I searched for a dragon head reference, and lo and behold, it was the exact same reference image I used for my drawing.

I also searched for a fox drawing, and the same fox was one of the first to come up. It turns out this person had traced both of them.

When I confronted them, they denied it and said they had made it for their mother, and now she would burn it. I told one of the mods about it, and the person was banned.

36. HORRIFIC skeleton in the closet

u/[deleted]: For 20 years, my wife kept a HORRIFIC skeleton in the closet. Yesterday, I exposed her and everything came out.In 2004, our newborn son vanished from his crib. No one, not even the police, could find him.

My wife said, "Let it go, we can't do anything. We need to move on." Fast forward to January 2024. I thought she was cheating, so I decided to follow her. She entered a motel room, and I burst in after her.

Before me stood a guy who looked about 20, but I had this feeling that I'd seen him somewhere before. And then blood turned ice cold. Suddenly, it all clicked for me. I yelled, "I'M CALLING 911!!" Wife: "STOP!!! PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!!! This guy...he's not your son!

As I struggled to comprehend the scene before me, the truth hit like a lightning bolt. "He looks like you, but he's not your son," my wife confessed, her voice trembling with guilt. "

I had an affair with a colleague, and when our son was born, I panicked. I couldn't bear the shame, so I staged his disappearance and left him at an orphanage. I've been lying to both of you, telling him his father abandoned us.

The revelation was a gut punch, shattering my trust and the life I thought I knew. Betrayal, deep and bitter, welled up inside me. My heart ached not only for the deceit but for the innocent boy caught in this web of lies. In that moment, my marriage crumbled.

After reading these first-hand accounts, it is evident why people choose deceit over truth in certain situations. However, getting caught in the act only leads to humiliation and regret. It's always better to speak the truth instead of hiding behind falsehood.

Have you ever caught someone lying? We would love to know how that happened and why the other person was lying. Share your story with us!