junebug,

Yes, the kind of deception your polygrapher practiced against you is quite common. In fact, the whole "test" is a fraud that actually depends on the polygrapher lying to and deceiving the person being "tested." For a detailed description of the trickery involved, see Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.

I recently took a polygraph.  I was antagonized all day by fellow employees.  By the time I took the test I was terrified.  I was told by the examiner that as long as I told the truth I would pass the test.  He told me that the only thing that he would tell my employer was whether I passed or failed.  I believed him.  I told everything about myself for fear of loosing my job.  I was told that I had passed the test.  One week later...I was confronted by my employer.  He had been told everything I had told the examiner.  I work for a law enforcement office and this was a required test to gain full time employment.  I have not been fired but feel that it would have been better if I had been.   I would rather have failed the polygraph than to have lost my employer's respect.  I just wish I had seen this site before I took my test.  Does this type of deception occur with most polygraph tests?