Episode 7 of the Fool Me Twice podcast dives deeply into the nature of lying, deception, and the psychology behind why people mislead others, sometimes deliberately, sometimes by omission, and often for self preservation.

The episode opens with light hearted banter between hosts Brad and Steve, touching on everyday complaints, injuries, and humour around masculinity, before quickly shifting into the core theme of the episode: what actually constitutes a lie. Steve defines a lie as wilfully misleading someone while knowing the information is factually incorrect. This definition is immediately tested through the idea of lying by omission, where a person withholds key information while still technically telling the truth.

Brad shares several vivid personal stories from his school years to illustrate this concept. One standout anecdote involves accidentally setting a classmate’s hair on fire, then truthfully stating that the hair caught fire while conveniently leaving out his own role in causing it. The story demonstrates how omission can be just as deceptive as an outright falsehood. Further stories about hypnotising classmates and forging parental notes reveal how quickly young people learn to exploit authority structures, especially when questioned poorly.

A major theme of the episode is the importance of questioning technique. Steve argues there is no such thing as a bad interviewee, only bad interviewers. Closed yes or no questions often allow deception to continue, while open ended questions encourage detail, expose inconsistencies, and reveal motive. This idea is reinforced through real investigative examples involving document examination, handwriting analysis, and forensic techniques.

One particularly sobering case involves a fabricated sexual assault allegation uncovered through document analysis, highlighting how lies must be carefully constructed, maintained, and emotionally supported to remain believable. Motive, such as revenge or jealousy, is repeatedly emphasised as the key to understanding deceptive behaviour.

The discussion expands into micro expressions, contempt, and behavioural cues, drawing on psychological research to explain how fleeting facial movements can reveal underlying emotion. These insights are linked to comedy, public speaking, and leadership, showing how reading a room and identifying who others take cues from can be critical.

Overall, Episode 7 blends humour, personal confession, psychology, and investigative insight to show that deception is a deeply human behaviour, and that understanding why people lie is often more revealing than simply catching them out.

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Episode 6 of Fool Me Twice explores deception in its many everyday and extreme forms, blending humour, criminology and behavioural science. The conversation opens with a lighthearted discussion about lying what it is, how common it is and how easily people rationalise small deceptions. This theme quickly shifts to modern petty crime, particularly self serve supermarket checkouts, where customers mislabel produce or snack while shopping. What begins as comedy becomes a broader commentary on how removing oversight, such as checkout staff or tram conductors, subtly encourages dishonest behaviour.

Steve, drawing on his policing background, explains that studies show most people will steal if they believe there are no consequences. The hosts reflect on how visible authority once regulated behaviour and how its absence has led to widespread fare evasion, retail theft and even organised swarming, where large groups overwhelm stores and steal openly. This raises a recurring question of the episode: is deception driven more by opportunity than morality?

The discussion then moves into the psychology of lying and detection. Steve recounts moments when being labelled the human lie detector created ethical dilemmas, particularly when revealing the truth could cause unnecessary harm. From this, the hosts explore how truth and deception appear in storytelling, comedy and real life. Truthful people, Steve explains, tend to self correct and provide detail, while liars remain vague to reduce cognitive load.

From petty deception, the episode escalates to large scale fraud. The hosts examine historic and modern scams, including the Ponzi scheme run by Bernie Madoff, who defrauded investors of around 65 billion dollars by exploiting trust, greed and perceived exclusivity. They also discuss massive government level corruption overseas and corporate scandals closer to home, emphasising that intelligence and wealth do not protect people from deception.

Crypto fraud provides a modern parallel, with discussion of the collapse linked to Sam Bankman-Fried. The hosts highlight how hype, fear of missing out and lack of regulation fuel financial deception, much like traditional scams.

The episode closes on a reflective note. While deception is everywhere, from fake smiles to financial schemes, life’s real value may lie in simple pleasures like coffee, beer and paying attention to what truly matters.

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Episode 5 of Fool Me Twice centres on one of Australia’s most infamous criminals, Ivan Milat, using his case to explore how lies, fear, and behavioural deception operate in serious crime. Rather than focusing on sensationalism, the episode examines the mechanics of deception surrounding a serial offender and the long lasting consequences those lies can have on victims, families, and the justice system.

The discussion revisits Milat’s murders in the Belanglo State Forest and highlights how deception extended well beyond the crimes themselves. A key focus is an earlier shooting of taxi driver Neville Knight, where another man spent years in prison for a crime Milat was later believed to have committed. This case illustrates how fear, intimidation, and misplaced loyalty can lead to false confessions and prolonged silence, allowing the truth to remain buried for decades.

Drawing on first hand investigative experience, the episode explains how behavioural analysis and polygraph testing are used in serious criminal cases. The emphasis is not on technology alone, but on how people tell their stories. Truthful individuals tend to include themselves naturally in events and provide consistent detail, while deceptive individuals often distance themselves, avoid direct answers, and show subtle signs of concealment through language and behaviour.

The episode also challenges common myths about serial killers. Milat is presented as an example of how these offenders are typically methodical, organised, and patient rather than impulsive. The discussion explores how serial offenders target vulnerable victims, operate in remote locations, and refine their methods over time. It also touches on recurring behavioural patterns, ritualistic elements, and why many serial killers have a strong interest in forensic processes.

Importantly, the episode examines why offenders like Milat rarely confess. Even when facing life imprisonment, maintaining secrecy can provide a final sense of power and control. Milat’s refusal to cooperate meant many questions were never answered, and it remains widely believed that additional victims were never formally identified.

The episode closes with a striking contrast. A lighter but revealing story is shared about a young man who claimed an uncollected lottery win. With no ticket to prove it, his claim was assessed through investigation and a polygraph examination. He was found to be truthful and ultimately awarded more than 20 million dollars. The story reinforces a central message of Fool Me Twice: polygraph testing and behavioural analysis can expose devastating lies, but they can also validate the truth when it matters most.

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Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au

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Episode 4 of Fool Me Twice dives deep into the messy, uncomfortable, and often humorous reality of lies, particularly in selling. Steve and Brad begin by defining a lie as a deliberate attempt to mislead someone while knowing the truth, that lying is often professionally useful. From there, the conversation moves fluidly between comedy, psychology, ethics, and lived experience.

A major focus of the episode is lying in advertising and marketing. The hosts explore how modern consumers are bombarded with misleading promises. This can be hundreds of times per day, through billboards, television, social media, and influencers. Drawing on Brad's background in observation, they unpack how advertising works not just on logic, but on emotion, social proof, and subconscious triggers. From weight-loss endorsements to celebrity spruiking, they question why large-scale, profitable deception is often tolerated, while small individual lies are punished.

The discussion broadens into influencers and social manipulation, tracing the concept back centuries to paid audience members at operas and plays. Social proof, scarcity tactics, and perceived popularity are shown to be powerful drivers of human behaviour, illustrated through real-world examples such as supermarket pricing tricks and influencer culture during COVID.

The episode then takes a more serious turn. Brad and Steve examine ethical lies in policing and medicine. Steve reflects on his time delivering death notifications as a police officer, explaining why he sometimes lied to spare grieving families unnecessary pain. This opens a nuanced debate, "When does honesty become cruel, and when does lying become compassionate?" Similar ethical grey areas are explored in medical settings, where doctors may withhold certainty, patients lie out of embarrassment or fear, and “service lies” like appointment times quietly shape expectations.

AI generated content, fake imagery, and non-existent online personas are highlighted as the next frontier of deception. Reality is further blurred and raising questions about accountability and harm. Yet despite the gravity of the topic, humour remains constant—used not to trivialise lying, but to expose how deeply woven it is into social life.

The episode concludes with a reminder that while lying is part of human nature, intent, impact, and ethics matter. Steve and Brad invite listeners to reflect on the lies they tell, the lies they accept, and the stories they want to share.

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Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au

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In this episode of Fool Me Twice, Bradford and Steve take listeners inside the mechanics of lying and explain how easily confidence and charm can mislead us. Steve defines a lie as a deliberate attempt to mislead while knowing the truth, then challenges many popular beliefs about how liars behave. He explains that nervousness, lack of eye contact, or awkward pauses rarely signal deception on their own. People show these behaviours for many innocent reasons, including stress, fear, or simple distraction.

The conversation centres on cognitive load and how lies strain the brain. When people tell the truth, they recall real memories. When they lie, they must invent details, maintain consistency, and respond to follow up questions in real time. This mental effort often leaks through behaviour. Steve describes how trained interviewers and modern technology focus on changes in eye behaviour, response timing, and speech patterns rather than dramatic physical reactions. Heart rate and sweating, for example, often reflect anxiety instead of dishonesty.

Benchmarking plays a major role throughout the episode. Steve stresses that interviewers must first understand how someone behaves when telling the truth. Only then can they spot meaningful changes. Without this baseline, even experienced professionals can miss deception. Charismatic personalities, confident speakers, and attractive people often distract interviewers and influence judgement. The episode highlights how easily appearance and personality can override logic in criminal interviews, workplace situations, and romantic relationships.

The discussion also dives into lying by omission. Steve explains that many people avoid direct lies by leaving out key details. By saying less, they reduce the risk of contradiction. Others overwhelm listeners with excessive information to steer attention away from the real issue. Both tactics appear frequently in interrogations and everyday conversations.

Through case experience, humour, and relatable stories, the episode connects professional interrogation techniques to real life situations like dating and social interactions. The message is clear. Spotting deception requires attention to patterns, context, and behavioural change over time. There is no single behaviour that exposes a lie, and anyone who relies on shortcuts will likely be fooled.

Book Steve Van Aperen as your next keynote speaker: Click here

Get coached in stand-up comedy with Brad Oakes: Click here

Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au

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