Think You Can Spot a Liar in an Investigation Interview?

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There’s no shortage of YouTube videos, books, and training courses claiming to teach you how to detect deception in real time. You’ve probably heard some of these gems before:

👀 "Liars avoid eye contact!" 

✋"They fidget or touch their face!" 

⏳"They hesitate before answering!"

I was even approached recently about a course promising "advanced deception detection". (Spoiler: It’s mostly nonsense.)

Here’s the reality: most people, including professionals (often self-proclaimed), are terrible at spotting lies. Research shows that our ability to detect deception is about 50% accurate. That’s chance level, the same as flipping a coin. In other words, you're just as likely to get it right by guessing randomly.

Why is that? We tend to focus too much on behavioural cues, such as gaze aversion and body language, even though studies show that these have no reliable link to deception.

So, what actually works? From our experience at Riskwise Consulting, drawing on backgrounds in criminal investigations, human intelligence, and workplace investigations, the real skill isn’t reading faces. It’s something much simpler (and more powerful): listening to what people actually say. Sounds obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how many people focus on body language and miss what’s right in front of them, the words.

Structure, clarity, consistency, and detail say a lot more about credibility than a twitchy eyebrow ever will. But even this isn’t foolproof. Some people are just better liars. Studies show that individuals who are highly verbally skilled tell more convincing lies, often by adding believable details that make their stories seem more credible. In fact, self-reported "good liars" overwhelmingly say they rely on verbal strategies rather than body language to deceive.

This is why rigid, one-size-fits-all approaches don’t work. Context, individual differences, and the totality of the evidence always matter.

So don’t be fooled by the myth that you can “spot a liar” just by watching how they sit or whether they scratch their nose. Assessing credibility isn’t a party trick; it’s a skill that takes experience, critical thinking, and proper investigative training. It means asking the right questions, listening closely to what’s said (and sometimes what’s not), and weighing it all against the available information.

At Riskwise, we’ve spent years conducting investigative interviews across a wide range of sectors, refining our approach to get to the heart of what’s really going on. If your team could benefit from sharper interviewing skills or support with complex workplace investigations, we’re here to help. Let’s talk.

Author: RiskWise Director Matt Truelove is a highly experienced investigator and advisor with over 17 years of experience leading complex investigations. He served as a Detective in the NSW Police Force and later as a Senior Investigator in the Australian Public Service. Following his public sector career, Matt dedicated his skills to conducting workplace investigations and supporting organisations in cultivating positive and inclusive work environments.