Bullshitter at work - could this be true?

[crochetmonkey74]

There's a woman at work who is basically full of lies. A few people have fallen for it , but in order to have done everything she's done, she would need to be 200 years old.
Her latest tale is that she was caught speeding on the motorway at 120mph but the police let her off with a warning. Surely that cannot be true? I was under the impression that the police always act on speeding that is this dramatic. What do you guys think?

Nope, was the dual carriageway/bypass which was a 70mph limit…..he reckoned it was quiet 🤷‍♀️

One of our colleagues does say "oh right" at everything and refuses to give any emotional response. Some of our younger colleagues seem to believe every word she says though. I came into the staff room one day and she was taking everyone's pulse. God knows what that was about

I used to work with someone who was a complete fantasist, told many stories that obviously never happened. After a while, I just ignored her.

Many people were taken in by her, including our boss. The boss also believed her fantasy that she was good at her job 🙄

I have a good friend who tells tall tales. I got to a certain point of credulity and now laugh and say it never happened. I got annoyed at first because it seems like he thinks I'm stupid that I will believe him but you want to believe friends.

You could call her on it. Laugh and say pull the other it's got bells on. Don't make it a big deal. Keep it light. Turn it into a joke. "Ooh you do tickle me Sandra with all your tales" etc.

I had a bullshitter at work but it was more serious as they lied about their health and it got really extreme. I mean up to a point you've got to believe people when they say they are ill but it got sillier and sillier in a short space of time. If her lies affect work then that's a more serious matter that's hard to deal with.

@PotatoPudding

it sounds like you have lots of energy & really live life!!

Over the years I worked with a couple of fantasists, in fact one was a friend for a while but in the end I couldn't bare the constant tales. Not just exaggerations or embellishments but full-on crazy stories e.g. members of the royal family visiting in secret to say her husband was to be given a knighthood but it had to remain a secret; owning multi-million £ properties; being severely beaten in the street including having her head bashed repeatedly into the pavement, but coming into work the next morning with not a mark on her.

She would also give long running commentaries on her dreams - nothing worse than listening to long descriptions of someone else's dreams!

@crochetmonkey74

blimey, I'd have to close my eyes tight to stop my eyeballs rolling over he top of my head.

i think I'd just keep saying 'Aye of course that happened Sandra'

It’s really not. An automatic court appearance possibly. DH was caught doing 120 on a quiet motorway in 2017, fucking idiot, went to court, six points and £650 fine.

no excuses for him from me, called him a stupid fucking idiot then and continue to do so for that idiotic act.

however it goes to show based on what’s read here that there are no hard and fast rules, it depends on the equipment that caught you, evidence that will stand up in court, what type of copper you get, how much of a sob story you can plead to magistrates and how good a solicitor you can afford to pay for.

In response to the OP, I still don’t think she was caught doing 120 and let off and yes she sounds like a prolific liar.

Her name doesn’t start with a V does it?

I know someone who was motorbike speeding but they'd not been able to get a proper reading so couldn't do anything. They only caught up with him at traffic lights.
Gave him a right toasting.

Omg didn’t anyone press her for more info about the operation?

But imagine being 35 , and already you've been a doctor, a vet, a solicitor

I read that and thought give the girl a break, she might have adhd - for context I have adhd, I'm a qualified hairdresser, nail technician, meditation coach, accountant, teacher, have run 2 business of my own, have 4 dc, and currently considering a career change.... it happens sometimes (also in my late 30s)

The operation though - okay yeah that's bullshit. If she's gonna lie, at least keep it vaguely believable. Just roll your eyes and play along with it

Yeah it's really not that people are being judgey of her or assuming the worst. There are plenty of people who have had all sorts of career paths at work, but she really is unrealistic in her tales

But imagine being 35 , and already you've been a doctor, a vet, a solicitor
.....and able to guide a surgeon through her own operation.

That's quite the skillset there.

Just position yourself directly opposite her and repeatedly scratch your chin.

@Westfacing nothing worse than listening to long descriptions of someone else's dreams!
Except perhaps when someone asks you if you've seen a film, you reply that you haven't because it's really not your thing and you'd rather have root canal treatment than watch it. They then proceed to tell you everything about the film in minute detail for the next half hour.

A vet takes 5 years (or 6!), a medical degree 5, law conversion is 1. Not sure there is much ‘conversion’ for medical to veterinary.

Just about possible by 35, but it’s a bit of a slog whilst having kids.

I think a ‘wow did you’ is called for here 😂

Yes but OPs point is it takes 5-7 years to train full time as a doctor, vet or solicitor so it’s technically impossible that she could have had all these jobs by the age of 35.

Yeah that doesn’t add up, the doctor vet and solicitor thing. Even if she had, she’d have only made it to newly qualified status so unlikely she’d have been doing surgeries etc. What’s the current job she’s doing? I’d probably quiz her extensively if she said stuff about her qualifications. Or I’d just be like ‘oh that’s nice’ and change the subject.

Someone mentioned above law can be done in a year so her timelines were possible. It doesn’t, and they aren’t!

Training to be a solicitor takes 6-7 years just to get to qualified level (depending if you’re in England or Scotland.) Can be marginally quicker if you’ve already got a degree under your belt and you’re doing a conversion degree before your post grad and two years traineeship/pupilage but it’s NEVER a one year and done kind of thing.

Solicitor, vet, dr (and her own surgeon, guiding a team to perform an op on her!) what a woman…

You also need the SQE formerly the Legal Practice Course plus two years of practical training to become a solicitor. Four years in total. If she did vet medicine she’d have been about 23 on graduation. Let’s say she then immediately did medicine, she’d probably be able to do a 4 year degree and she’d be 27 on graduation and then another 4 years to be a solicitor at 31. Then have 3 kids in 4 years. So yeah I guess technically possible but she’d have had no clinical experience really beyond uni placements and wouldn’t have been performing operations. I’d also expect her to have a LinkedIn profile with her various studies outlined there. She’d definitely be in an unusual category to have had that many careers with long training periods.

Maybe her lie is that she’s 35 and she’s actually 45 😂

Still not sure why you care?

@crochetmonkey74 Could she be Frank Abagnale Jr's sister?

The OP's not lying awake caring her heart out over this. She's just asked us what we thing. Jeepers.

But she could have been a veterinary nurse, or a legal assistant which could be what she means when she says vet and Lawyer. I knew someone who as adament she was a headteacher despite not even having a bachelors degree - she was in charge of the education department of a charity offering functional skills to adults with disabilities. Technically, her title was headteacher, but not in what the vast majority of people would consider being a headteacher (of a school after having QTS, years of post grad training and qualifications etc).
Job titles don't always mean qualified jobs iygwim. So she could have been a "vet" and a "lawyer" but the surgeon is pushing that waaaay too far. Probably just played operation as a child

Yes, this is what I was thinking too. That she might be exaggerating rather than outright lying. Some people do it just to tell a good story and build rapport rather than maliciously.

That's ok , you don't need to be sure. This is a chat forum and I can chat about anything I want. You don't have to engage or attempt to shut it down