| Common Types of Resume Fraud One
way people create a fictitious past is by claiming a degree from a university they never
attended. Such fake degrees are widely available over the Internet. For a price, you can
obtain either a "real" degree from a fake university, or receive a fake copy of
a degree from an actual university. Sophisticated technology also makes it easy to create
more realistic-looking fake documents than ever before. People also stretch the truth by
claiming degrees from universities they actually attended but never completed studies, by
upgrading an undergraduate degree to a M.B.A. or Ph.D., or by claiming a degree in one
specialty when their degree is really in another. |
Another common way applicants falsify
their past is to lie about previous employment. They often claim important jobs or titles
that they never held, or blur employment dates to bridge gaps between jobs. They
exaggerate salaries and job responsibilities of previous positions. Some even list a
non-existent job or military service to conceal time spent in jail. These applicants know
that, even if a cursory check is made, it will be difficult for the employer to verify
information. That’s because many companies, fearing defamation lawsuits, have
policies limiting the type of information that can be shared with fellow employers.
No matter how applicants try to falsify their backgrounds, your company pays the
ultimate cost if that misrepresentation |
is not discovered. At best, hiring an unqualified
individual results in a waste of hiring and training dollars and substandard work.
At worst, it exposes your company to theft, violence and liability in negligent hiring or
professional malpractice lawsuits. A high percentage of employees who commit theft or
violence in the workplace have a record of previous criminal activity. Studies show that
companies lose three out of four negligent hiring cases when the employee involved has a
previous history of crime that went undetected by the employer. Taking
a Stand
So what can you do to fight back against resume fraud and protect
yourself from hiring |
unqualified people? There is no substitute for
a proper and thorough background check. The more sensitive the position the more careful
you have to be. Make it clear during the application process that any offer of employment
is contingent upon completion of a detailed background check and that any discrepancy
discovered after the person is hired is grounds for immediate dismissal. Get
the applicant’s signature giving permission to release information. Then get started.
Check education records. Verify employment records. If necessary, investigate criminal
records. If pertinent for the
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| In a continued effort to serve our extensive
international clientele, Michael G. Kessler & Associates, Ltd., now provides important
information on our website (http://www.investigation.com) in a variety of foreign
languages. With the click of your mouse, you can now read about our firm and find out how
we can be of service to your organization in |
solving a multitude of corporate crises, in ten
different languages. Visit our homepage and you will find flags proudly
displayed which represent translations in English, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic,
Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Russian.
Our efforts to serve our |
multilingual clientele however do not stop there. If
you would like to call our company to speak with us about a problem your organization is
encountering, but English is a problem for you, we provide a translator to help ease your
anxiety and provide the information you require in your native language. Susan Peterson, Senior |
Managing Director for Kessler &
Associates, recently completed an extensive report including a survey on White Collar
Crime for the research committee of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
A recent issue of Discount Shoppers News included an article from
(Continued on page 7) |
