Employee Background Screening Case Study: Fakes & Forgeries from Applicants
Employee Background Screening is a critical tool for companies to ensure they are choosing the best personnel for their organisation
Fakes and forgeries from applicants
As a global leader in background screening and due diligence, CRI Group™ provides a wide range of screening services to businesses through its EmploySmart program. Among these critical checks is education verification. And if you think verifying an employee’s or candidate’s education credentials is just a formality, wait until you hear about these cases.
Investigation finds 5 out of 18 degrees to be fake
CRI Group™’s investigators recently conducted background screenings of employees working for a multinational organisation operating in Pakistan. While verifying education credentials as part of just one of the aspects of a thorough screening process, the investigators immediately noticed red flags and initiated detailed checks of the education degrees claimed by the subjects.
In this case, CRI Group™ screened 18 degrees claimed from a single university. By contacting the university and examining documents and records, CRI Group™ found an astounding 5 of them (27.7 per cent) to be fake and/or forged. There is likely a similarly large percentage of employees performing duties in various organisations without carrying relevant degrees or certifications.
There is a possibility that many of the employees are performing their tasks in companies without holding relevant past professional experience, and some may have been involved in suspicious activities in their past, which could result in huge monetary loss for the companies where they are currently employed.
Fake references
An applicant claimed to be a holder of a university degree. When CRI Group™ conducted its local education verification process, the university named by the candidate reported that the applicant’s degree was ‘fake and forged.’ The applicant also provided a reference letter, apparently signed by the university’s Deputy Controller of Examination (Dy COE) — confirming his education record and asking to re-check his record with the university.
However, further investigations showed that the reference letter was also fake, and the signatory was not, nor had ever been, the Dy COE of the university. Another fake and forged degree was revealed when CRI Group™ investigated the applicant’s BBA — as there was no conferment of said degree.
A Criminal among them
In another pre-employment verification of an applicant, CRI Group™ uncovered disturbing details. When the applicant’s previous employers were contacted, one of them reported that the applicant was hired without any prior experience, was trained for a couple of months, and then terminated due to committing cash embezzlement and participating in harassment and workplace violence. A second employment verification revealed his termination, as he caused a financial loss to the company.
Any organisation needs to verify information provided by individuals they seek to hire. In the end, some job candidates will seek an advantage through fraudulent means. More troubling is that in certain cases, the hidden truth might even include criminal behaviour.
How can you reduce your risks?
Employee Background Checks can reduce the risk of hiring someone who could cause irrevocable damage. Firms spend years, thousands, even millions to brand their products and services and one bad hire can cause loss of capital and reputation to the extent that may bring a business to fail. A robust pre-employment check can help you and your company:
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CRI Group™ Employee Background Checks
Employee background checks also known as EmploySmart™ is a robust new pre-employment background screening service certified for BS7858, to avoid negligent hiring liabilities. Ensure a safe work environment for all – EmploySmart™ can be tailored into specific screening packages to meet the requirements of each specific position within your company. We are a leading worldwide provider, specialised in local and international employee background checks, including pre-employment and post-employment background checks.
Employee background checks and necessary screenings are vital to avoid horror stories and taboo tales that occur within HR, your business, or even your brand – simply investing in a sufficient screening can save you time, money and heartbreak.
CRI Employee Background Checks are essentially an investigation into a person’s character – inside and outside their professional lives. Some checks you probably already carry out in-house, such as candidate’s qualifications (documents provided), work history (with a reference check), right to work in the country and even a quick social media presence scan.
However, we provide a full in-depth background screening service for candidates and employees at all levels – from senior executives through to shop-floor employees:
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A business must understand its exposure, type of insurance coverage and limits – does your policy cover a negligent hiring lawsuit? The checks are critical to any company’s success – hiring qualified, honest, and hard-working employees is an integral part of thriving in the business community.
Read our employee background screening FAQ to get insights on the most common questions raised by the HR leaders and business owners related to background checks.
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