What Should You Do When You Think a Customer Is Lying?

Few situations test an agent’s skill quite like the moment they suspect a customer isn’t telling the truth. It can feel uncomfortable, frustrating, and at times even personal. After all, contact centre professionals are trained to help – not to interrogate.

Yet this scenario happens more often than many would like to admit. Whether it’s a questionable refund request, an inconsistent story, or a pattern of repeated complaints, agents are regularly faced with situations where something just doesn’t add up.

So, how should you be supporting your agents to handle these situations? We asked our customer contact experts to find out.

Make Sure Your Agents Stay Grounded in Trying to Resolve the Customer’s Issue

When suspicion creeps in, it’s easy to lose focus. Instead of solving the problem, the interaction can quickly become about proving a point. But it’s so important for your agents to stay grounded in what they’re trying to achieve first and foremost: to resolve the customer’s issue.

“When they suspect someone’s lying, your agents should still stay grounded in what they’re there to do and what your company’s mission is. In practice, this means assuming goodwill with the customer and still trying to resolve their query.

Even though it can be tempting to try and fight it, it’s much better all round to just focus on the important piece around solving their problem and creating that positive customer experience.” – Adam Boelke, Founder of the Alignment Advantage Group.

This may feel a bit defeatist and like letting the customer “win”, but picking a fight often results in a lose–lose situation. After all, challenging a customer’s honesty rarely ends well. It’s one of the quickest ways to escalate a call and damage the relationship!

Not only this, but a small refund, replacement, or exception may be far cheaper than prolonging the interaction or involving managers. The key question becomes: is this worth picking a fight over? More often than not, the answer is no.

Patience is key, and to help your agents develop this skill, read our article: How to Practise Patience in Customer Service

Remind Agents It’s Actually Really Hard to Prove Someone Is Lying

When trying to instil this message in your agents, it’s also worth reminding them that it’s actually really hard to figure out if someone is lying.

Without face-to-face cues, agents are relying on voice alone. Even then, hesitation or inconsistency doesn’t necessarily mean dishonesty – it could just as easily signal confusion, stress, or uncertainty.

So, there is a very real risk that any confrontation is being acted on on a false assumption, and of course, misjudging a genuine customer can damage trust far more than letting a minor issue slide.

Sometimes a Little More Investigation Does Feel Warranted

That being said, sometimes a little more investigation does feel warranted, so if you do want your agents to dig a bit deeper – without starting a fight – here are some tried and tested approaches that can help:

Try Calm, Probing Questions to Explore the Issue in More Detail

If the situation is worth pursuing, curiosity can be a great tool for skilled agents to draw on. By asking calm, probing questions, they can gather more information and often uncover the real issue – without ever needing to make an accusation.

“You don’t want to call someone out and get them all worked up because you think they’re lying.

After all, if they are and you call them out on it, what’s their response going to be? You’re not going to get anywhere!

That’s why the very best agents calmly ask some probing questions without calling them out on the lie, and I’ve seen this being done very well over the years.” – Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company.

If you want more advice on probing questions, read our article: 15 Examples of Probing Questions for Customer Service

Empower Agents to Use Their Judgement

Also be mindful that rigid policies can make these situations harder to handle. When agents feel boxed in, they may escalate unnecessarily or struggle to resolve issues effectively.

So, empower your agents to make a judgement call, but also make sure you make it OK to make a mistake, so they know you have their back.

The reality is that no policy can cover every scenario. Agents need the confidence – and permission – to make decisions in the moment. This doesn’t mean removing structure entirely. It means providing clear boundaries, training, and support so agents can make informed judgement calls when needed.

Use Customer History to Spot Patterns and Evidence Any Suspicions

And while real-time judgement is important, context matters too! So lean into the data where it’s available to help back up any suspicions.

After all, a single interaction may not reveal much, but you may find that patterns build up over time – particularly where a certain customer is making multiple refund requests or complaints.

This is where CRM systems and detailed notetaking can provide valuable insight and help you get clearly and calmly to the truth – ultimately allowing the situation to move from gut feeling to evidence.

Combine Transparency and Empathy When Saying “No”

And even when something doesn’t add up, the conversation should remain calm, factual, and professional.

“It comes down to being transparent about what your agents can do and what they can’t do – particularly if the customer can’t evidence the purchase they are requesting a refund for.

This is where empathy can really help, with phrases such as, “I understand you’re frustrated, but that is not something that we can replace for you.” The goal should always be to explain – not accuse.” – Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso.

By clearly outlining what is possible (and what isn’t), agents can manage expectations without escalating the situation. Pairing this with empathy helps maintain a positive tone, even when delivering bad news.

Put a Clear Process in Place for Agents to Escalate to a Supervisor

That being said, some argue that agents shouldn’t be expected to handle suspected dishonesty at all.

“I don’t think we should be relying on our agents to police whether customers are lying or not. There should be a policy in place that allows agents to simply flag the call for a supervisor to follow up afterwards.

This removes all the risk and responsibility from the frontline, as just letting them wing it based on their gut instinct could leave them open to making mistakes and even being reprimanded for a negative outcome.

It’s just an additional stress that shouldn’t rest with the frontline.” – Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’.

A far better approach is to separate the interaction from the investigation. Agents can then focus on the customer experience in the moment, confident that their concerns will be followed up after the fact.

Lies Test Judgement, Patience, and Professionalism – All at Once!

Suspecting a customer is lying is one of the most challenging situations in customer service. It tests judgement, patience, and professionalism – all at once!

But the most effective approach isn’t about going all out to prove that suspected dishonesty. Rather, success comes from putting the emphasis on avoiding confrontation and giving agents the processes, training, and support they need to handle these situations with confidence.

Because in the end, it’s not about catching customers out – it’s about doing the right thing, in the right way, every time.

What Do Your Agents Do When They Suspect a Customer Is Lying?

When did one of your agents last experience someone lying? Were you pleased with how they handled the conversation? Or could it have gone better?

Click here to join our Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.

With thanks to the following people for sharing their thoughts for this article:

• Adam Boelke, Founder of the Alignment Advantage Group
• Alex McConville, Contact Centre Consultant and author of ‘Diary of a Call Centre Manager’
• Clare Santos, Director, Knowledge & Quality, Customer Experience at Aviso
• Jamie Storer, Sr Manager, Workforce Optimization at Columbia Sportswear Company

If you are looking for more information to help improve customer service and handle difficult contacts, read these articles next:

• Are Customers Really Ruder When They Can Hide Behind the Phone?
• Is Hanging Up on Screaming Customers Backfiring on You?
• What Does It Really Take to Correct a Customer Politely?

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson