London - Two in five of us admit to telling lies online, a report claims.
But while men stretch the truth about their career and fitness, women fib about their appearance and love life.
Those who admit they lie online do so on average twice a week – with men telling fibs three times more often than women.
The survey by insurance firm Privilege found that 42 percent admit to telling lies on social media, discussion forums and dating, job, and review sites.
One in six has set up a fake profile online, mostly so they can "troll" others by posting negative comments anonymously, while 17 percent have used social media to make an ex jealous.
One in seven admits to creating a false impression of relationships through posts and pictures that do not accurately reflect it. A third of those who use dating websites admit to lying. The most common dating profile fibs are about their hobbies, weight and height.
More than a quarter of women who admit to lying confess to using filters to enhance photographs of themselves. Other popular social media fakery includes posting exercise photos when they’re not in the gym (13 percent) and uploading an old holiday snap in the hope that others will presume they are travelling (13 percent).
Dan Simson, head of Privilege home insurance, said: "Our study has revealed a real move towards people’s online persona dominating their real-life behaviour.
"People should remember that everything they post is accessible via Google, so we’d encourage them to be cautious about what they’re placing online."