This is stage 1 signalling. Stage 2 signalling is this but with convincing lies, which actually are enough to convince a Bayesian evaluator (who may be aware of the adversarial dynamic, and audit sometimes).
The theory of costly signaling is specifically about stage 1 strategies in an environment where stage 2 exists—sometimes a false signal is much more expensive than a true signal of the same thing.
The theory of costly signaling is specifically about stage 1 strategies in an environment where stage 2 exists—sometimes a false signal is much more expensive than a true signal of the same thing.