I can only speculate, of course, but I've met a developer who runs around inflating salary reports in hopes that he will set the expectation that employers at tech networking events will think they should pay him that much. It's strange to observe.
But mostly I'd just say that people like to have something impressive and interesting to say, and making up numbers is a quick way to do that.
But mostly I'd just say that people like to have something impressive and interesting to say, and making up numbers is a quick way to do that.