Q: Can your Polygraph Examiner in Athlone expose a liar at my party?
I know your organisation doesn’t do lie detector tests for entertainment but I wonder if you can help me.
I have a friend who seems to have done everything I’ve done, but better. This email makes me seem like a spoilt brat but at 24 years old, I’ve had enough. It first started when we were at school and I went away with my family for a luxury holiday in the Alps. We went skiing and had some really great parties. I was so excited to go back to school and tell all my friends what I’d been up to. When I got there Ian (my friend) was telling everyone how he’d been abroad and had actually been clubbing. At 14 this was quite an achievement and no one was really interested in my holiday anymore. Our parents are close and this would have been how he knew about my holiday but the odd thing was I knew nothing of his. Nor do I believe his parents would have let him go clubbing at 14.
At school and through college I have challenged the things he upstages me on and people just seem to think I’m jealous. He says I’m jealous too. We’ve grown up together and as much as he annoys me, he is my best friend. But recent events have made me question this. I’ve been studying to get into medical school and got the highest grades in my class. I was really proud, I’d worked hard and it really seemed to pay off. My parents organised a party for me when the results came through and I invited Ian. He has been studying to become an architect and at the party claimed to have got the highest exam result ever recorded at his university. He hasn’t been studying very much and I find it really hard to believe.
The reason I’d like him to take a lie detector test is that the party was my moment to shine. As much as Ian has always upstaged me before I was mortified he’d do it on this particular day. All of a sudden the whole party seemed to be about him and not me. As childish as this may seem, it’s a real issue for me and I’d just like to out him for the liar he really is.
My parents are throwing a birthday party for me soon and they’ve asked me what I want for my birthday. I said “A lie detector test for Ian” and explained why. We are thinking about telling him that we are all taking one but letting him go first. What do you think?
J. C., Athlone
Response from our Polygraph Examiner in Athlone
It sounds like Ian has self-confidence problems if he has to tell so many lies to make himself the centre of attention.
You are right in that we don’t conduct lie detector tests for entertainment purposes. There are two ways this can be achieved. One is to get Ian to take a test before the party so that you have the results on the day. The other is to have tests conducted at the party but in a room that is quiet and away from any guests. There must also be no interruptions.
Test results are available within 24 hours usually but if conducted at the party they may not be available during the party.
Working as a polygraph examiner in Athlone, you are not the first person to want to out a compulsive liar. I can most certainly ascertain whether or not Ian is telling the truth but my advice would be to have more than one test done before the party. Then you will have fully analysed reports to share with your party guests.
How to book
You can book the tests online through our secure reservation system. Alternatively, if you’d like to discuss the issue further, please call our Free Helpline on 85 176 3360. Let our customer service representative know that the polygraph examiner in Athlone has answered your question.