Tackling the Evolving Risk of Fraudulent Hires in India
What are some of the key challenges that recent advances in technology pose for businesses in India? This article discusses why there is an increased risk of fraudulent hires and covers the types of screening services that can be used to help employers to mitigate these risks.
Technology continues to help simplify hiring and screening processes, but it has also increased the risk of fraudulent hires, posing significant challenges to organizational health and safety.
In this article, I look at a few of the key challenges that recent advances in technology pose for businesses and highlight some of HireRight’s services that could help employers to mitigate their hiring risk in India.
A Growing Global Concern
While still relatively rare, fraudulent hires are a growing global concern with serious consequences—especially in safety-sensitive roles or industries. CNBC recently cited a Gartner study estimating that by 2028, one in four job candidates worldwide will be fake. But how have technological developments, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), changed the game for those looking to dupe employers?
Availability of Conversational and Generative AI
AI has helped simplify ways of working, but it has also made it easier for bad actors to manipulate, tailor, and falsify employment and education information in resumes and job applications. Newsweek recently published an article highlighting an instance where a recruiter correctly identified an individual using generative AI to mask their identity during a job interview, serving as a good reminder for companies around the world to stay vigilant and up to date on fraudulent threats.
Data Breaches and the Dark Web
Data breaches continue to increase, both in size and frequency, according to an article by Wired. While they are usually part of a ransomware attack aimed at extorting businesses, they often involve stealing and leaking personally identifiable information on the dark web—making it easier than ever for bad actors to purchase stolen personally identifiable information (PII) and increasing the risk of identity fraud, not only for theft, but employment opportunities as well.
Rise in Fake Documentation
The combination of advances in AI, an increase in data breaches and stolen personally identifiable information, and the growing accessibility of 3D printers has made buying fake documentation significantly easier. Bad actors can purchase fraudulent IDs through the dark web or other e-commerce channels, heightening the risk for organizations.
An article from The Hindustan Times described how 32 candidates were recently discovered to have submitted fake O-level certificates issued by the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology, while sitting for a recruitment exam in 2016. The candidates were issued appointment letters in 2018 and had been working in their positions until a thorough document verification process uncovered that they had used fraudulent documents.
Combating Bad Actors – Services to Mitigate Risk
As bad actors continue to evolve and adjust their approach, your organization may want to consider adding or adjusting its screening services to help build a more complete picture of a candidate’s background and mitigate the threat of fraudulent hires. Here are some of HireRight’s services which could help to reduce hiring risk in India:
CV Analysis – Compares information on your candidate’s CV or resume against information they provided during the screening process. Any differences are identified and documented.
India EPFO Employment Verification – Verifies Indian employment history using the candidate’s Universal Account Number (UAN). The service checks whether the employment details from the UAN match what the candidate previously shared when verification from the employer isn’t possible.
Global ID Check – Digitally verifies that your candidates’ identity document is authentic using the latest advanced AI-driven Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. It can also digitally verify your candidate’s identity via our optional digital liveness and biometric face-matching feature.
Moonlighting Check – Helps identify if a candidate has been or is engaged in moonlighting (dual employment) by checking for overlapping dates in a candidate’s employment history to confirm if a candidate has been or is working for two or more employers at the same time.
India Database Check – Identifies a wide range of reportable adverse history on Indian candidates from more than 3,700 online and publicly available Indian-specific sources. This includes criminal records, civil litigation, media, sanctions, and watchlist databases.
If your business is interested in learning more about how these services can help improve its screening program, please get in touch via our Contact Us page. (If you are an existing HireRight customer, please contact your account manager or HireRight’s Customer Service team.)
