Why Do Some Falsely Claim to Be Victims?

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Morales story has strong parallels to the case of a Michigan woman, Sara Ylen. Ylen falsely accused an innocent man of sexually assaulting her in 2003, and he spent nearly a decade in prison before his conviction was overturned. Ylen had gone so far as to use makeup to add fake bruises on her body, as evidence of her claims. Ylen also said that she had cancer, though police who investigated her claims discovered that her doctors had never even diagnosed her with cancer. Ylen is currently on trial for lying about her sexual assault.

While the public may associate lying and deception with common criminals and petty crime, many people who make false reports have professional status, including high-profile careers and doctorate degrees.

New York City meteorologist Heidi Jones reported to police on Dec. 1, 2011, that a man had stalked and sexually assaulted her twice, once while she jogged in Central Park. Police investigated the matter thoroughly and even arrested a suspect before determining that her story was a lie.
...
When these false reports are eventually exposed, it’s not uncommon for the alleged victim’s supporters to justify the hoax by saying that it was done for a greater good, and that it doesn’t matter whether the specific incident actually happened, because it represents many undoubtedly true and valid similar events. Police who diligently spend dozens or hundreds of hours — not to mention thousands of taxpayer dollars — on a lie understandably do not feel the same way. And, of course, the time and effort spent on false victims is time that could have been devoted to helping real victims or real crimes.'