This is something I don’t understand. I can’t lie about who I am or what I’ve accomplished. I never even fudged an employment application! Con artists, however, tend to be sociopaths who don’t feel guilty about anything. They tell people whatever they need to get out of them whatever they want. With one person they’re a combat veteran, with somebody else they’re a former chorus member of The Lion King. They can’t tell anyone what they really are, so they just make stuff up. The bigger the lie, the better. Pretty despicable stuff.