How to Tell If Someone Is Lying [According to the FBI]

One of the worst parts about being the victim of an online scam is being lied to by a cyber actor or catfish. Being on the receiving end of a lie or facade can crush your spirit and threaten your ability to trust others in the future.

However, there are easy and fast ways to discover if someone is lying to you. Don’t let your heart be taken for a ride; instead, learn the four tips the pros use to find out if someone is honest or honestly lying! With careful training, you might become (almost) as good as an FBI.

How to Tell If Someone Is Lying

When was the last time you lied? If your answer is “months” or “never”, then you might be lying, to yourself! The Mirror reports that research shows that people tell as many as 200 lies per day. Whether that statistic pertains to you or not, this is how you get good at spotting a liar.

Avoiding the Question

If you ask a question and someone avoids answering, take note! According to private investigator Dan Ribacoff, this might mean that your lover is lying.

A person who is lying in this manner might ignore your question or ask to follow up questions – instead of answering immediately or directly. The pause someone takes before answering can mean they are lying!

Eye Switch or Hand Gestures?

Everyone has a baseline. When you’re relaxed, you might sit or talk a certain way. When lying, someone’s baseline habits will change. However, changes to someone’s norm might reveal their discomfort with the subject matter.

One myth which has recently been debunked is that liars look to the left. For years, it was said that a right-handed person might look to the left more than usual if they told a mistruth.

Studies now show that is not the case. Instead, as The Independent reported, Professor Richard Wiseman says that hesitating verbally or using excessive “hand gestures” might be better indicators.

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Think of Children

Have you ever seen a child lie? They pause and look around the room. They add irrelevant details to make the lie seem more authentic. For example, a child might not answer you immediately and then try and throw you off their track with an overly detailed story. Since liars can seem very calm, look for excessive details as an indicator of a fib.

Look to Yourself

If you’re trying to spot a liar, the best thing you can do is stay calm. If you get riled up and excited, the liar might take advantage of your nerves and, meanwhile, you may not notice their discomfort.

According to 1980’s Harvard research, as reported by Ladders online, bomb disposal operatives who are successful manage to relax and enter an almost meditative state when working in a high-stress situation. If you want to catch an online criminal or liar, remain calm at all costs and let the liar reveal. This will give your intuition a chance to help you find out the truth.

Do you suspect that someone you’ve connected with in-person or online is lying to you? Maybe you’ve used the above techniques and have lingering suspicions. If you ready to know for sure, we can help. Stop wondering and verify the identity of anyone you’re worried about by using a private and fast background check.

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