When I was a kid, being called a liar were fighting words. These days, if one is called that, a lot of people feel it is a compliment because fooling people is considered the "in" thing these days; the pathway to success.
Maybe I'm showing my age, but I think the OP is right not to lie, even something relatively small like the jack. A C-note isn't worth one's honor.
Plus, even though it is minor, it is obvious, and can be considered insurance fraud (likely wouldn't mean anything criminal, but would give the insurance co grounds to completely drop all policies at their whim.)