We’ve all heard horror stories when it comes to checking verifications, but perhaps none quite as horrifying as this. By way of Reddit, an online social discussion platform, a user recently shared a personal story how they avoided an awkward employment gap by using a fake reference – and it worked! While the story may appear amusing, it exposes the challenges of obtaining the correct information on job candidates.
The Six-Month Gap
The Reddit user described his situation:
“I was stuck in a loop because of a six-month gap after a startup folded. Every time a recruiter asked for a supervisor contact from that era I panicked because the founder basically disappeared.”
In an attempt to overcome this dilemma, he made a strategic decision to have his cousin act as a former manager. His relative was prepped on projects he supposedly finished and what his weaknesses were. When the background check company called his cousin, he fooled the employer.
“The truth is that most HR people are just checking a box,” he posted. “They aren’t private investigators and they don’t have the time to cross reference every single person on LinkedIn to see if they actually worked at a specific company. If the company is gone, there is no paper trail anyway. In reality you are just a line item on their to-do list for the day.”
Redditors Responses
Several Reddit users chimed in similar experiences, with one acknowledging they had never before used proper references for a job. Thankfully, others cited that depending on the job, using false references could be risky.
“Depending on what kind of jobs you’re applying for, this can be a very bad idea,” said one reply. “A lot of companies now use platforms that can pull up your work history and pay rates. I pulled mine recently, and not only did it have my work history for the past 15 years, but it had my pay stubs from my current job.”
But the responses did not end there, with one post claiming they were a huge proponent of lying to get the best possible work opportunities.
“If you can do the job well, who cares how you got the job?”, the poster stated.
One poster with HR experience stated:
“I used to do background checks for HR. You just want to tick the box and move on. With some employers, you can even lie about the time you worked there — three months on or off — and still pass. If you provide the contact info, they’ll use whatever number or email provided instead of looking for the real company.”
Even more alarming, one Redditor acknowledged monetizing fake references.
“I used to have a side gig being a reference for people,” the post stated. “There are so many people who need this service. The best part was when people called back or emailed that they got the job. Even though I didn’t ask for tips, a lot of them tipped.”
Take Verifications Seriously
What is the moral of this frightening story? For one, take verifications very seriously. Do your homework and have a consistent policy. At GroupOne Background Screening, we are staffed entirely with registered private detectives whose area of specialty is checking verifications.
In addition, we have a dependable system known as WebVerify, an automated and reliable platform providing instantaneous employment and salary history on current and previous employees.
This service conveniently provides an alternative for your staff having to verify the employment of current and previous staff members. This automated process saves you time and money, not to mention decreasing calls to potential cousins of job candidates.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.