I am not going to say that some people are buying refundable tickets just to get "in person" passport service (for US passport, or foreign at some diplomatic mission), but maybe some are, or so I have heard (and seen). The extra cost for in person/express/urgent processing might be less than the cost of documents to be replaced, if lost, and that is not counting the cost of stress.
I would never recommend to lie, but travel plans can change 🤷♀️