To ask if anyone has ever met a Walter Mitty type character?

[Mrspoopoohead]

Just that really it always amazes me to hear how people manage to get jobs impersonating doctors for example. Has anyone had any real life experiences?

[BrownEyedGirl80]

My bitch from hell ex boss was a fantasist.She concocted a story that she was in a LD relationship with a millionaire when in reality she lived in her mums terraced house which she lied about owning.She brought a photo of her imaginary boyfriend to work and a colleague recognised it to be someone in a minor role on a US TV program.

[toconclude]

[quote Dexysmidnightstroller]@Pippapotomus if your grandad is planning a post Covid cruise more power to his elbow. Since WW2 ended almost 76 years ago, he must be in his late 90s at least if he served in the RAF.[/quote]
Could be early 90s, my late father joined as a Boy Entrant aged 16.

[toconclude]

Oh, my mistake, that scheme was suspended during the conflict. Dad joined in 1935.

[SnowWhitesRestingBitchFace]

My ex is like this.

When he first met he told me he was a bank manager from Bank A. Never had a reason to doubt him. Even his parents spoke about it!

Turns out he'd actually worked for Bank B at some point in the past but was sacked for gross misconduct (he could have gone to prison) and was currently unemployed.

He faked illness several times, going to far as to be dropped off at the hospital etc.

Lied about subsequent jobs and money etc. He actually had a gambling addiction and was obviously a compulsive liar.

He's still the same now. He actually ended up working with my DH and had the audacity to tell their coworkers that he wasn't able to get a mortgage because he was in so much debt and had a shocking credit rating all because of things I'd done when it's actually the other way around!

[Mrspoopoohead]

Some eye opening posts on here. My ex H also told people he was ex SAS and that he’d been contacted by the army to help out even though this was a good 10 years after he supposedly left! This was all a cover story for him to shag many women he met on dating sites. I believe he’s told his current wife he’s working for MI6!

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

My Ex also falls somewhat into this camp, but it was more like exaggeration of grains of truth - still damaging to the trust I thought we had!

Prior to that my DS's actual father told me a very elaborate story about being adopted and having gone to Canada to meet his birth mother. There came a time when our medical history became crucial due to issues around my son, so I tried to sensitively ask his Mum about it..... and it was news to her! He'd never said it was a secret but the fallout was extremely uncomfortable!

We were conned by a career criminal when we lived near Manchester who eventually ended up on a Channel 4 programme called Love Rats from hell...... he was so adept at telling different people different things that it was only after he scarpered and we all got together to compare notes we realised how much we'd been mugged. He did a bit of time but then ended up somehow at a car boot sale in my home town down South with his latest lady mark, and I honestly just lost it very publicly! Have searched in vain for the Documentary, but it's not online, but there are archived news stories about.

Thing is, I'm probably a bit of a sucker because I've got a few things in my history that come into the "you couldn't make this shit up!" category, which I will be honest about if someone becomes close and it's relevant, but generally i keep pretty schtum, because I hear myself talking and think I sound like a fantasist too!

[Elderflower14]

My late DH WAS definetly in the SAS. 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁
My late father had a friend who was a real Walter Mitty type. He used to come out with some real corkers. One of which was hiring the NEC in Birmingham for a conference.
He had a ladyfriend move up near him and when she discovered his lies she was furious and gave my Dad a hard time as she thought he was colluding with him.

[Handsoffstrikesagain]

Saying all this, there are well known people on TV pretending they were in the SAS (or at least not correcting the assumption!). It makes my toes curl.

[RossPoldarksWife]

@AgeLikeWine

I did bar work when I was a student. It was surprising how many former SAS soldiers I encountered who wanted to tell me all about their time in ‘The Regiment’ and the top-secret clandestine operations they participated in. All very hush hush, of course, and they shouldn’t really be telling me about it due to the Official Secrets Act. One claimed he was writing a book about his exploits, under a pseudonym, of course, because he didn’t want to become a target for foreign operatives, or whatever.

They were all balding, overweight, unfit looking middle-aged men, drinking on their own during the day. They didn’t seem very bright. I didn’t know whether to laugh at them or feel sorry for them.

Why are they all ex SAS or parachute regiment?

My sisters current bed partner claims to be ex paras. Shot behind enemy lines, in the neck, but survived. Been police officer in Italy. Etc etc.
Can’t even produce a photograph never mind army records. She believes every word.

[Handsoffstrikesagain]

Because being in the SAS is the ultimate achievement ross. Ask your sister’s partner what Bn he was in, that’ll be interesting

[RossPoldarksWife]

@Handsoffstrikesagain

Because being in the SAS is the ultimate achievement ross. Ask your sister’s partner what Bn he was in, that’ll be interesting

Oh what’s a BN Hands?
Would love to catch him out!

[FamousPinkRaincoat]

I have posted this before, but this is my mother. Have NC for this.

My mother is a chronic liar and always has been, which can be difficult for me at times. She was living in London in the 1960s (that at least is true) and she knew all kinds of famous people including all the people involved in the Profumo scandal. Except she didn't. She knew Guy Burgess, Kim Philby and the rest of the Cambridge spy ring, and was the girlfriend of some of them, so she knew that they were spies before anyone else did. Except she wasn't. My father was an Olympic skier and knew the famous skier Jean-Claude Killy, who was his best friend and went to school with him. Except my father, a good but not outstanding skier, did not even go to school in the same country as Killy. There are many more such examples, always involving famous or infamous people.

[Wingull]

Please do @RossPoldarksWife and report back! Do you think he was in the army at all?

[Handsoffstrikesagain]

Battalion ross. But it would be better if you could write it in a text to him as ‘Bn’ as I’d be interested to know if he knew what it was. Tell him you bumped into a school friend or something that was now on the Paras and they wanted to know what Bn what you were in?

[RossPoldarksWife]

@Wingull

Please do *@RossPoldarksWife* and report back! Do you think he was in the army at all?

No definitely not.
He has no typical “army” traits. He has no pictures, no records nothing. Aparently they are all in his house in Malta. That he’s not been to in the 3yrs he’s cocklodged at my sisters.
He went extremely quiet and defensive when my daughter mentioned her dad was a Grenadier, and he’s got stuff everywhere!

[RossPoldarksWife]

@Handsoffstrikesagain

Battalion ross. But it would be better if you could write it in a text to him as ‘Bn’ as I’d be interested to know if he knew what it was. Tell him you bumped into a school friend or something that was now on the Paras and they wanted to know what Bn what you were in?

Ah thank you.
I’ve asked his military number and he hesitated too long, that’s what made me doubt him. Then all the parachuting behind enemy lines and being shot, discharged medically and then fit enough to join the Italian police force as drugs officer. Oh and he can’t drive.

[Wingull]

@RossPoldarksWife Wasn't the last time they did that the Suez Canal

My husband doesn't haven't military stuff around especially when he leaves so uniform will be gone but something like his army number will be ingrained forever.

[Maerchentante]

I knew someone who lied as soon as he opened his mouth. Claimed to be a car mechanic, except, he was fired three months into his apprenticeship for not turning up and not doing the school part.
Then he claimed to be with the police and in the drug squad, even went as far as showing my mum some hash, which he had claimed to have seized in a drugs raid.
He then claimed to be in a special protection unit, protecting the hospital room of a German politician who'd been shot with life changing results.
Or he was a member of a crisis intervention team with the police, or a millionaire or that he had single handedly apprehended an arsonist
Another time he claimed that an actress in a commercial for shampoo was his girlfriend and the children featured there were theirs.

In reality, he's a drug and alcohol addicted layabout who has spent almost as much time behind bars as he did on the outside. He did have children with at least two of his former girlfriends, but refused to acknowledge them and never paid a penny in maintenance.

For some reason, my mother always believed her younger brother whereas my dad would say "If he says good morning, he's already lied". After my dad died, he swindled my mother out of thousands, all with the promise of paying her back asap, money that was given to us by friends, colleagues and aquaintances of my dad's to help until the pensions were sorted. This caused a huge rift between my mother and I, as she put her brother and his unbelievable nonsense before her children, their future and their needs.

My grandparents fuelled his behaviour by worshipping the ground he walked on, always giving him money, they also believed every word he said.
He had to attend my grandfather's funeral in handcuffs and with two police officers as escort and was only allowed to stay for the service before he was moved back to prison.
When my grandmother was seriously ill with cancer, he stole her wedding ring off her finger and sold everything in the house that was not nailed down.
As I had cut all contact years earlier, I only found out when my brother told me after clearing the house, not that I would have wanted anything from there.

I know that he's still allive and was a candidate for the council in the town he lives in (in Germany), but was to well known to get a significant share of the votes. One of these days I do hope karma strikes when he least expects it.

[Handsoffstrikesagain]

He’s a complete liar ross. If he can’t drive it is highly, highly unlikely he has ever been in the army. But aside from that everything else he’s said is laughable!

[RossPoldarksWife]

Wingull I have no idea!! I didn’t think they actually parachuted anywhere any more.

Ex husband died and daughter inherited all his stuff. His military career was over when I met him. But still knew he was ex military! Polished shoes, precision bed making, tidy wardrobe, etc and he had photos.

Could reel his number off asleep! Had his red book to hand always.
This guy has zilch, didn’t even know what a red book was!

[WeatherwaxLives]

I went to college (a levels) with a girl who seemed to lie for no reason. First one I suspected was telling everyone she had endometriosis. Which I would have believed if I hadn't the previous week lent her a magazine with a special on endometriosis. She said she wouldn't wear strappy tops because she had scars on her back from an accident as a toddler - her mum took her to work with her at a factory and she was badly hurt, lucky to survive. (because toddlers often run around factories, don't they?!). Saw her out on the town in a strappy top - no scars - then months later she said it was because she had to have 'gene therapy' (?!) on the scars. Unluckily for her gene therapy was in the syllabus of the course we were doing, a couple of months later so that was an obvious lie.
Then she said she was adopted and was having problems because her sister wasn't and there were issues with how they were treated differently. Met her sister - they could have been twins.
Then she was attacked in the street while walking the dog and couldn't come to college because she was in A&E overnight because she was so badly hurt. Came to college 2 days later and was showing everyone her 'black eye' which was actually just a vein visible under her skin.
Turned up half way through the day once because she'd been witness to a car hitting a cyclist and had to stay with them waiting for ambulance and giving statements etc. Could have been true, but by that point no one believed anything she said.

It was so weird, she was nice, we all got on, whole class used to go on nights out and stay over at various houses (only about 15 of us on the course) there was no need for her to lie to be popular or anything.

[RossPoldarksWife]

@Handsoffstrikesagain

He’s a complete liar ross. If he can’t drive it is highly, highly unlikely he has ever been in the army. But aside from that everything else he’s said is laughable!

This is what struck me! Police officer drug squad that can’t drive!

He actually said he was trained in body language and could spot a suicide bomber before they acted. I actually wet myself laughing at that one!

[AyeRobot]

Military promotions are listed in the London Gazette. Ask me how I know...

[Handsoffstrikesagain]

Certain units will still parachute if needed, but yeah, every word out of that idiots mouth is a lie! How is your sister falling for this?! How old is the guy?

[MNWorldisCrazy]

@Spied

I know a guy who makes all sorts of lies up about his life.
He's currently getting his HGV license ( he isn't)
He works for the NHS (he doesn't)
He earns X amount ( impossible)
He has a Range Rover in the garage (untrue).
He will also do odd things like start small fires in gardens so that he can discover them and look like a hero.

He keeps his family at arm's length away from friends and colleagues.
Makes me wonder what lies he tells and he must worry so much about being discovered.

Don't know about Walter Mitty but this guy is a complete nutcase.

Sounds like a sociopath!