Lying to get hired isn’t new. People have been claiming degrees they never got, extending their dates of employment, and covering up criminal records and drug use for longer than any of us have been alive.
Fraud isn’t new. But it’s morphing into something barely recognizable.
Artificial intelligence, remote hiring, sophisticated identity theft, and online credential scams make the perfect storm for candidates to misrepresent themselves and their qualifications. What’s worse, it’s easier to get away with it.
And many organizations are still relying on screening strategies designed for yesterday’s threats.
As fraud tactics advance, employers need to get aggressive in protecting their workforce, customers, patients, and reputation.
Newer, Sneakier Hiring Fraud Tricks Your Candidates Are Probably Pulling
Today’s hiring fraud extends beyond embellished resumes and false references. Remote hiring and digital onboarding expanded new opportunities for dishonest, and even nefarious, people to squeeze through the cracks.
For HR professionals, catching sophisticated attempts to manipulate the hiring process is challenging, but crucial. And it starts with recognizing them.
- Using More Elaborate Ways to Fake Identities
Instead of exaggerating qualifications, some applicants use stolen identities, synthetic identities, or another person’s credentials to obtain employment. It’s easier for applicants with bad intentions to hide behind screens and avoid face-to-face verification than it was even five years ago.
Unfortunately, traditional screening methods alone may not always detect these schemes.
- Making Real Time Application Edits
Sometimes hiring fraud starts with a seemingly minor change to an application. A revised Social Security number, corrected date of birth, or updated legal name. Now, these edits may be completely legitimate. Or it may be an attempt to hide something important during the screening process.
Without visibility into these changes, employers may never know critical information was altered after the application was submitted.
- Purchasing Fabricated Degrees
Some candidates knowingly purchase degrees online to qualify for positions they’re not prepared to perform. These look authentic right up to the university seal and transcripts. For employers, hiring someone who has misrepresented their education can cause poor performance, compliance concerns, safety risks, litigation, and harm to the brand.
- Employment Eligibility Fraud Remains a Risk
Even after hiring the applicant, there could be secrets lurking below the surface. The person may not be eligible to work in the United States. Incomplete forms, document errors, and inconsistent procedures create unnecessary risks of hiring an ineligible job applicant.
- And Then There’s AI
While many job seekers use AI responsibly, some applicants leverage the technology to fabricate qualifications, generate false employment histories, and exaggerate skills.
The concern goes beyond written applications. Deepfake technology can alter video interviews, manipulate voice recordings, and create highly realistic digital identities. In remote hiring environments, it’s more difficult for employers to verify that the person being interviewed is truly the individual applying for the position.
How HR Can Fight Back Against Modern Fraud Schemes
Dishonest applicants continuously adapt their methods. HR must do the same.
The great news is that employers aren’t powerless against hiring fraud. The most effective defense is a screening program that combines technology, verification, and consistent processes.
Strengthen your organization’s defenses by:
- Verifying identities with real-time detection tools early in the hiring process, especially for remote candidates.
- Using an experienced third party to confirm educational credentials and professional licenses that are relevant to the position.
- Monitoring candidate edits to critical application information like names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.
- Using an automated system for maintaining a consistent, compliant I-9 process.
- Training hiring managers and recruiters to watch for and recognize common fraud indicators and suspicious behavior.
- Reviewing screening policies regularly to address emerging threats, like AI-generated content, deepfakes, and synthetic identities.
- Partnering with a trusted background screening provider that understands evolving fraud tactics and compliance requirements.
Adapt Your Processes to Minimize the Risk of Hiring Fraud
Hiring fraud isn’t going away. It’s only going to become more sophisticated, more complex, more difficult to detect, and more accessible to untrustworthy applicants. From stolen identities and fabricated degrees to real-time application edits and AI-generated deception, today’s threats require a more proactive approach to screening and verification.
Organizations can no longer assume applicants are who they claim to be or that seemingly legitimate credentials and information are accurate. Chances are good the next hiring fraud scheme is already being tested by someone. The question is whether your organization, and your vendors, are prepared for it.