Two expressions specific to
- pretending to be poor or using poverty as an excuse, and
- pretending to be ill or unwell,
are 'poor-mouth' and 'malinger'. These both have noun and verb forms and, in the case of 'malinger', an adjective form.
poor-mouth, n.
colloq. (orig. and chiefly U.S.).
a. to cry (also play, talk, etc.) poor-mouth: to plead poverty.
b. Used (chiefly attrib.) with reference to (esp. unjustified) protestations of poverty or personal misfortune.
["poor-mouth, n.". OED Online. March 2016. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/237577?rskey=d6fl9j&result=1&isAdvanced=false (accessed April 05, 2016).]
An example of attributive use is
Let's talk about what's important as billionaire club owners roll out their poor-mouth propaganda and millionaire players set in motion the mechanism to strike.
(From Daily News, 2002, "Enjoy Baseball While You Can", by Kevin Modesti.)
'Poor-mouthing' may also be used as the adjectival form of 'poor-mouth'.
malinger, v.
intr. To pretend or exaggerate illness in order to escape duty or work; to feign or produce physical or psychological symptoms to obtain financial compensation or other reward. (Originally used of soldiers and sailors.)
["malinger, v.". OED Online. March 2016. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/112944?redirectedFrom=malinger (accessed April 05, 2016).]
The noun forms of 'malinger' include 'malingerer', 'malingering' and 'malingery'. 'Malingering' is also used as an adjective.
Examples of forms of 'malinger' in use:
Rogers (1997) criticized the use in DSM-IV of uncooperativeness and treatment noncompliance as criteria for malingering because those who malinger often are highly cooperative and voluntarily seek treatment, though they do become uncooperative under more direct questioning.
[James Richter (2014), "Assessment of Malingered Psychosis in Mental Health Counseling". Journal of Mental Health Counseling: July 2014, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 208-227. Emphasis mine.]