Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us if they ever told a white lie, only to be caught in a hilarious or embarrassing way. Here are the some of the stories of the little lies they told and how they got caught:
1. This lie that was said just to fit in:
This was back in the seventh grade, when I was the new girl in school. I wanted to be part of the cool kids, so I made up a white lie about my family being rich and how I lived in a mansion. I was a very creative person and came up with so many details that people believed me and I was instantly the new "it girl" of the school.
One day, on a field trip, I brought like 20 dollars to get something from the gift shop. I had 75 cents change in coins and accidentally dropped a quarter. My friends were like "just leave it," but I was like, "No, I'm poor as hell and every quarter counts," and they all looked at me like "whaaat?"
I suddenly realized what I said, and then I said, "Oh, I'm just kidding!" but it was too late, I was caught. My friends forgave me, eventually, but it wasn't the same as before. Everybody has associated me as a liar ever since.
2. This lie about being a college football player:
My college boyfriend and I traveled a lot, and we just liked to go to bars in new cities and talk to people and make shit up about ourselves. It was harmless and fun. One night we told some girl that he was on the football team at our school and she seemed really interested and asked a ton of questions. Before she walked away she revealed that she was the daughter of the football coach and knew everyone on the team. We looked her up and she was telling the truth. That was pretty embarrassing.
3. This lie about an imaginary bully:
As a kid I used to poke holes in my shirt with pencils when I was bored in class. Well, I’d come home and my mom would notice the holes. She’d ask me where I got them and to avoid getting in trouble, I lied and told her a kid in the playground was poking me with their pencil. She believed me. This went on for a while, until my mom decided to find the “bully” poking me with the pencil. She sat me down with my teacher, a class counselor, and the principal and I ended up sobbing and telling them the truth.
4. This lie that ended up with a new family pet:
My mom and I rescued a dog that had been left at the dog park and decided not to tell my dad because he was adamant about not having anymore pets. When we brought her home we left her on the front porch (we lived in a rural area, so our yard was huge) and told my dad that this random dog showed up. He thought she would leave, but she stayed on our porch night after night.
My dad put up fliers and a missing dog ad because he thought someone had lost her. Of course, no one came for her so we kept her. Years later I ended up spilling the beans. I didn’t realize he didn’t know the truth after having her for so long! Now it’s a running joke between us.
5. This lie that sounds like the plot of a rom-com:
I went on a student exchange program to France one summer and told one of my friends back home that I’d been getting with a really good looking guy who was friends with my host family. That friend from back home then came out to France with me the next summer and I had to awkwardly explain that I’d lied, so that she wouldn’t say something and embarrass me in front of him. Little did I know that he’d been saying the exact same thing to his friends and I could have gotten away with it!
6. This lie about being British:
I was born deaf, so my speech isn’t perfect and often times people think I’m from England or Australia. Well, growing up, kids would make fun of my voice or often ask why do I sound like that. Embarrassed to tell them I’m deaf (I’m proud that I’m deaf now), I would tell them I’m from England. I used this lie for years up until I was 16, when one of my new friends asked me where I was from, and, of course, I said England. Well she’s also from England, and I was shocked when she asked where in England I was born in. I was busted. She understood and forgave me after I explained why I lied. I never used that lie again.
7. This lie that pissed of the dealer:
One time I reup'd [bought weed] from this guy. After my purchase we sat around for a little bit smoking and making small talk — he then asked me if I watched Naruto. For some reason I said yes and pretended to know exactly what he was talking about as he pulled out collectible figures. We literally talked about this show for maybe a half-hour (and by that I mean he talked while all I did was smile and nod).
Fast forward to four weeks later and he asked me again if I watched the show. This time I was honest and said no. He sat confused for a second and then told me all about the show and the latest collectible that he had acquired. That was also the last time I ever picked up from him. For some reason he stopped returning my texts, LOL.
8. This plagiarized Valentine’s Day poem:
In elementary school we were suppose to write a poem on Valentine’s Day and I couldn’t think of anything, so I wrote down some lines from a song I was sure no one had heard. I got up confidently and started saying “my poem” and my teacher loved it, but then a kid stood up saying I had stole it from this song. We argued before the teacher made us both sit back down. I don’t think I even finished it.
9. This lie said just to get some D:
When I was in high school, I skipped my last period to go visit a guy (I was 18, he was 20, FTR) who lived downtown and I ended up staying much longer than anticipated. I also completely spaced on plans I had made with my friends. They called me while I was driving back home, asking what I was doing. I lied saying I had just woken up from a nap (I also had forgot I told my parents I would be with said friends).
Well, they had gone to my house to pick me up only for my parents to inform them that they thought I was with them to begin with. I pissed my parents and my friends off, got Saturday school for skipping class, and got my car taken away. All for some D grade dick.
10. This lie about practicing taekwondo:
When I was 14, I was in a small class group circle and we had to introduce ourselves and say something interesting about ourselves. I couldn't really think of anything interesting, so I lied and said I took taekwondo classes.
A girl spoke up and asked where I took them, so I told her naming a studio I knew near a shopping area. Then she said that she went to that one and had never seen me there. I brushed it off weakly and awkwardly that I didn't go to classes very often, but I felt so deeply ashamed of myself. The girl never talked to me again, either.
11. This lie that ended up being a good dating lesson:
When I was 18 years old, a guy kept asking me out, but instead of telling him that I wasn’t interested (as to not hurt his feelings), I told him I was going on vacation to visit my relatives.
Well, long story short, a few days later he messaged me asking if I was having a good time (I was actually just at my local Walmart buying chips) and I texted back, “Yeah, I’m in my aunt's house just helping with dinner.” After that I felt someone staring at me, so I looked up to see that guy in the aisle — I had the most awkward eye contact in my whole life! I quickly left with my bag of Doritos, but soon got another text from him that just said, “unbelievable." I learned my lesson though, sometimes it’s better to say the truth even if it hurts.
12. This lie to try to seem rational in front of a crush:
I was talking to my crush sophomore year and was being overdramatic about having finals in weightlifting and he asked me if I had it next period. I didn’t, I had it seventh period and it was third, but I realized he was basically wondering why I was being dramatic, so I said yes. But, then this girl turns around and goes, "No, you don’t, you’re not in my class!" So I go, "Oh wait, I have it in fifth," to which he replied, “But, I'm in fifth!” So I said, "OMG, I’m so forgetful!" and tried to play it off as if I wasn’t just busted completely lying. I was mortified!!!
13. This lie to cover up a secret date:
I asked my mom to drop me off at the theater so I could see a movie with my best friend, but in reality I was really going on a date with this super hot guy. Flash forward a couple hours and we’re walking down the aisles of Hobby Lobby having pillow fights and playfully arguing over decor when we run into my mom!!! It was so embarrassing, she made me come home at once and I never talked to the dude again.
14. The lie about being a soccer fan:
When I was in elementary school I had a crush on this kid who was obsessed with soccer. His favorite team was Milan, and because he liked Milan, I lied and said I liked Milan too. Well one day he asked if I ever went to one of their games and I wanted to sound cool to him so I said, “Yes!” He asked me which game — I'd never been to a game and I didn’t even have basic knowledge of soccer then — so, I panicked and said the first country that came to mind “Milan vs. Brazil!” *enter facepalm here* Yeah, he knew I was bullshitting and he never talked to me about soccer again.
15. This pre-Wiki lie:
I was 13 years old when Scream came out and I was too scared to see it. A frenemy of mine asked if I'd seen it yet and I didn't want to look like a wimp, so I said, "Yeah, totally." So she called out my BS and was like, "I couldn't believe when we found out the dad was the killer" and I was like, "I KNOW!"
Ugh...still haunts me.
16. This case of stolen identity:
My friends and I tried to sneak into the International Model UN at a hotel we were at (this was a worldwide event). By chance I found a name tag that someone dropped and I put it on and went into the Model UN as this kid named Brendan Suarez. I was going around introducing myself and I said, “Hi, I’m Brendan Suarez!” and this one kid stops me dead in my tracks and says, “No you’re not! I’m Brendan Suarez!”
17. This lie about being Russian:
We were in the Dominican Republic (in a less touristy part of the island) and were getting a little irritated by all the merchants trying to drag us into the stores. This led to my husband having the bright idea of pretending to only speak Russian (he had just purchased Russian Rosetta Stone). So the next person comes up to us to try and sell us something and my husband basically waves him off saying "whatever" in Russian. Well, the guy looks startled, backs away and goes back into the store.
We finished walking around the small downtown area and wrap back around to where that guy originally was that my husband tried blowing off. Well, out of a store, a well dressed man comes out with a box of cigars and Russian liquor and starts speaking Russian to my husband. I immediately started laughing my ass off and beeline it back to the resort, leaving my husband to bear his lie on his own.
We find out the next day on a tour that the Russian mafia actually has a strong hold on that area. Apparently there are specific stores that assign handlers to Russian guests.
18. This lie that sounds like something straight out of Mean Girls:
In seventh grade I was the new kid at an elite prep school and completely out of my socioeconomic class. Trying to fit in with the cool girls, I made up that I had a boyfriend who went to another prep school. When one of the meanest girls invited me to her slumber party, I coolly turned her down in front of everyone, claiming that I had a movie date the same night with my boyfriend. And I did have a movie date planned that night...um, with my dad and little brother.
Well, that night, the slumber party squad walked into the same movie I was at and saw me with my dad and brother right there in the aisle. I never heard the end of it from those girls until I left the school at the end of junior high.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.