Employment certificate fraud rates have increased by nearly 30% throughout the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, when compared to the same period of the previous year. This is according to TrueProfile.io, a leading provider of Primary Source Verification (PSV) services, which advises that this alarming figure confirms the need for more stringent recruitment processes.
TrueProfile.io is part of the DataFlow Group, a global provider of specialised PSV solutions, background screening and immigration compliance services, which discovered the increased fraud rates by assessing its global database of verification applicants. The insights also revealed that overall fraud rates – which refers to fraud on any verified documents including degrees, ID, employment certificates, licenses – throughout the pandemic also increased by 15% when compared to the same period last year.
René Seifert, Co-Head of TrueProfile.io, explains: “These worrying figures highlight that there’s never been a more urgent need for organisations to properly vet the candidates applying for jobs to ensure they truly have the qualifications they claim to have in the application stage. It’s particularly concerning to see that the area people tend to embellish the most is in relation to their previous employment by tweaking their title, responsibilities or adding extra years of experience to try to get the edge over other candidates.”
“The pandemic has caused an increase in unemployment rates. Additionally, the increase in online learning, working from home and access to the internet, allows diploma mills – an unregulated institution of higher education granting degrees with few or no academic requirements – to flourish. Together, these conditions mean that fraudulent applications can thrive, and it’s becoming more difficult for employers to detect them.”
René adds, “For employers in high risk sectors such as healthcare, hiring an unqualified candidate can literally be the difference between life and death, so it’s critical that organisations implement processes to evade this and protect both themselves as well as their patients or customers.”
TrueProfile.io safeguards businesses against fraudulent candidates with false credentials by carrying out pre-employment checks to the highest standards to ensure compliance. By providing a technology-driven platform which connects international employers with trusted professionals, TrueProfile.io ensures that an applicant’s credentials have been verified at the source. This trusted environment allows businesses to mitigate risk and save time by making informed decisions about the individuals they choose to work with.
René concludes: “The increase in employment fraud rates means that employers, regulators and recruiters need to act now to ensure that they don’t fall victim to fraudulent candidates. Ensure that a stringent recruitment process is in place to protect your business and the entire community that it operates within.”
