I was a victim of a serial false accuser. At my lowest point, I was suicidal, but I was very fortunate and only lost my friends and mental health. My life and my career are intact, and I moved states and got a fresh start. My mental health is back to 90% and my PTSD symptoms are manageable so I’m very thankful.

I work in a career that attracts a significant number of female psychopaths, and since my recovery, I’ve successfully thwarted another psychopath’s attempt at bullying through false accusations. I wanted to share some helpful tips that could save your life. Overall, I’m fairly good-looking, and well-mannered so please understand that this can happen to anyone.

Working with mostly female coworkers should be thought of as walking through the rough part of town; if you act jumpy, you’re going to get jumped. Psychopaths exist and you will run into them in the workplace, so your goal is to not be a target.

When someone wants to mug you there is a psychological game they use. They use it to decide if you are easy to mug, or if you’ll put up a fight. If a mugger approaches you in an isolated area while pretending to have a weapon behind their back the worst thing to do is to act afraid. Fear means you are easy prey. If you act as though they are not a threat, they often will not engage. It doesn’t work 100% but your chances are infinitely better than acting fearful. The female psychopath has their own method of testing their prey.

In the workplace, a female psychopath will decide if you are easy prey by acting frightened of you and gauging your response. She could do this by hiding behind someone else when you approach, or she could clutch her chest and pretend to cower in fear when you walk by. She could do anything that signals to you and to others that you are a threat to her safety.

She tries to make her target believe there is a problem. If you act concerned, fearful, or draw attention to her actions then you are presenting yourself as easy prey. By acting afraid of false accusations, you signal to the psychopath that it will work.

If you validate her actions by drawing attention, then she is more likely to continue. She will continually act fearful until other coworkers take notice. When she starts to shape public opinion it could lead to a formal false accusation when she knows others will take her side.

The only way to respond is indifference, and to pretend like you didn’t notice her dramatic outburst. When she sees your indifference, she will stop because there is always easier prey she could spend her efforts on. Remember, you have done nothing wrong by existing, and if someone acts terrified that is their problem, not yours. It is not your responsibility to clarify her misunderstanding, because that is often the trap. If you apologize for no reason or ask her why she is acting fearful, then she knows her tactics are working.

Your coworkers are adults, and if there is a miscommunication, they should talk to you about it. They should not act scared as a tactic to get you to talk to them. That is psychotic behavior and an absolute red flag. When a coworker acts scared without giving a reason you should stop initiating conversations, minimize time with them, and only respond with brief pleasantries when they greet you.

Overall, don’t act like you’re afraid of false accusations and the psychopath will choose someone else.

There are several reasons why female psychopaths falsely accuse men. Primarily, it gets them the attention they want. They will gladly trade your career, your freedom, and your life just to get a week or two where people give them special treatment.

I’ve seen this tactic used several times in person, and the only way to stay safe is to not play their game.

To see a real-world example of this tactic in use and how to deal with it properly you can youtube “amber heard jumped back.” In the clip, you’ll see Amber Heard intentionally jump back as she pretends to be fearful of Johnny Depp. Johnny did a great job by not acting fearful or concerned but instead just shrugged his shoulders.

I hope you find this helpful and feel free to share any actionable advice you have in avoiding psychopaths who falsely accuse. Stay safe out there, and good luck.