Lying About Dying on the Internet

I've written before about people who pretend to be sick in order to get money or attention, but a recent story in The Guardian online discusses the rash of "Münchausen by Internet" cases in more depth than any I have seen so far. It's easy to lie on the internet; you can pretend to be almost anyone and avoid exposure by claiming a need for privacy or disappearing when things start to get hairy. When I read the stories about these fakers, I think to myself that there's no way I would believe such fantastic stories, but I can't be sure that I wouldn't. No one wants to say that someone is pretending to be sick, especially if she is sick herself.

Much of the article talks about the pathology of the "MBI" perpetrators:

"These aren't just people with a sick sense of humour. Jokers want a quicker payoff than this kind of hoax could ever provide. It requires months of sophisticated research to develop and sustain a convincing story, as well as a team of fictitious personas to back up the web of deceit. Psychiatrists say the lengths to which people like Mandy are prepared to go mean their behaviour is pathological, a disorder rather than simply an act of spite. The irony is these people might actually be classed as ill – just not in the way they claim to be."

Should we pity elaborate liars for having some sort of mental disorder that makes them lie? Should we all know better than to believe things people say on the internet? For that matter, should we know better than to believe things people say to us in person? I struggle with these questions because I want to believe everyone's story, whether it is of triumph or woe. I have yet to understand why false attention, acclaim, or pity is better than honest modesty or even honest anonymity.