KYC Knowledge Stand

Resumé fraud has been around as long as there have been résumés, and diploma mills and Internet sites like FakeResume.com and CareerExcuse.com have made it easier, more convincing, and more pervasive than ever. These and other popular sites show in simple steps how to pad qualifications and fill time gaps a person may want to hide or gloss over, and to literally buy or create false credentials. One sample “testimonial” on CareeerExcuse attests that “I Bought Fake Job References and it WORKED.” 

Falsifications and omissions on applications can be costly in terms of liability and material losses.  

The case of Ponticas v. K.M.S. Investments in Minnesota serves as a clear example. In that case, the owner of an apartment complex was found liable because the owner’s resident manager used his passkey to enter a tenant’s apartment and violently rape her at knifepoint. It was later discovered and presented in court that the resident manager had a history of convictions for violent crimes. Had the owner done “adequate due diligence,” the court found, the resident manager would have not been hired and the rape would not have happened. The tenant was awarded millions. 

A very effective solution to résumé fraud and its consequences is the use of a screening program during the onboarding process. Such a program lets job applicants know that claims on résumés and job applications will be checked for accuracy, and then does it as thoroughly as possible. Not performing this due diligence presents risks that are just too great.