Using AI to minimize and eliminate fraudulent hires
HR teams need better ways to minimize and eliminate fraudulent hires.
HR teams need better ways to minimize and eliminate fraudulent hires. Candidates are lying and cheating in hiring processes in the hope of getting hired more than ever. A scary thought considering that candidate fraud has nearly doubled since before the pandemic. For this reason, more companies’ human resources departments are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) as a solution.
Recently, candidate fraud has seen an uptake at an alarming rate, be it misrepresenting skills or experiences on a CV to professional interviewers interviewing someone else. In fact, research shows a 92% increase in candidate fraud from the onset of COVID-19.
What the stats say
Candidate fraud statistics
Remote work has its place however, with remote work and remote hiring, candidate fraud, professional interviewers, and fake candidates have increased tremendously.
AI and machine learning have transformed the recruiting industry in recent years, making it more efficient and effective. With the arrival of advanced technologies, there’s no denying that there has been a rise in hiring scams and frauds.
Enterprise technology leaders are looking to strengthen their hybrid workforces in today’s landscape. To do this, they must safeguard their recruitment-related data and prevent candidates and HR teams from falling for recruitment scams.
HR executives have noted cases in which the candidate interviewed over video or audio conferencing later turns out to be a completely different person from the one who joined the organisation.
It is crucial for organisations to deploy intelligent and automated fraud detection strategies to identify fraud attempts using data-driven tools.
AI and machine learning platforms are providing a weighted score for every digital business activity in order to prevent fraud and data theft.
The increasing escalation of this trend in highly sophisticated misrepresentation and fraudulent activity is perfect for AI systems to combat. Artificial intelligence can quickly review large amounts of data to identify potential fraud.
- 92% increase in candidate fraud since the pandemic.
- 52% of executives believe AI-powered fraud detection is a best practice for hiring and preventing the leading methods of cheating.
- One staffing firm noted a 150% increase in successful hires after incorporating AI.
- 21% of candidates cheated despite knowing they were being monitored.
- Candidate assessment technology will increase by 1.7% in two years.
- Remote hiring has made it easier than ever for candidates to cheat and the labour shortage is increasing opportunities for fraud.
Using AI to minimize and eliminate fraudulent hires
How do candidates cheat?
In today’s workplace, it’s easier than ever for employees to cheat on their work. Remote hiring and remote work have created an environment where cheating is perceptively easier and with growing sophistication.
Some ways that people cheat in order to get hired include:
Bait and switch: 1 person is interviewed online and an entirely different person shows up for the job
Plagiarism: answers to questions are copied and pasted from online sources in employment tests
Back-up: here a candidate provides answers by either being fed the responses by someone else in the room or there’s a cheat sheet out of sight of the interviewer’s camera
Virtual Access: a dual keyboard and monitor are used by another person for the test or interview
Remote desktop: this technology allows another person to log in to the candidate’s device in order to take the candidate employment test
Headphones: allows someone else to guide the candidate with answers to interview questions
The visionAI Suite
How to leverage AI to minimize and eliminate fraudulent hires
AI is already more prevalent in society, and starting to be used more and more by organizations to detect the signs of employment scams and alert customers when they encounter suspicious activity. Ultimately advances in AI will eliminate fraudulent hires.
By analyzing behavioural patterns, AI can detect unusual behaviour that would otherwise be missed by traditional means of fraud detection.
AI can detect and counter fraud by identifying fake job applications, forged emails, and phone numbers. This is done by using a collection of algorithms designed to distinguish different types of scams. The AI can then combine the outputs of various algorithms to get a final result that tells the system whether or not the application is phoney.
Companies can use AI to prevent recruitment fraud in the following ways:
- Detect fraudulent behaviour patterns
- Identify suspicious transactions much faster than humans
- Pinpoint the location of fraudulent activities
- Find contradictions in data and facial expressions
- Conduct social media, verification, and qualification checks
AI can solve the problem of recruitment scams very quickly by analyzing the application, and facial recognition or expressions during the interview and looking for red flags from there.
A common practice behind AI-based scam detection is to use machine learning algorithms to detect patterns in the application that could be signs of a scammer. The AI-based algorithm automatically analyzes the candidate’s information on their resume and compares it against job listings and other resumes to find out what keywords might be triggering spam filters. Going a step further it identifies what keywords might indicate that the applicant is not qualified for the job specification.
It’s a one-time investment that will protect you from a lifetime of uncertainty and challenges.
Thanks to AI-based technologies, a candidate’s authentication is assessed in the following ways during remote assessments:
- Login through a secured browser
- Valid identification card display
- Real-time location view accessibility by webcam
- Audit/Record of assessment live streaming
The visionAI Suite
Mindful of these, the global workforce of the future also knows that the paradigm shift in proctoring is here to stay.
It is no longer an invigilation system, but a platform to showcase the best of their talent while being authentic. Organisations can detect and prevent hiring and recruitment scams with the right investigation and advanced technologies, and report it immediately to the relevant authorities to take necessary action.
We are experiencing a talent shortage globally. Companies must look at more than ‘must-haves’ for widening the candidate funnel like; soft skills, adaptability, problem-solving, collaboration, dependability and culture fit that resonates with them. Previous applicants and vetted candidate referrals are becoming more important than ever.
There’s always a risk for imposters, irrespective of whether the interview is in person or virtual. The Covid pandemic has made us flexible in terms of attracting and retaining talent. As a step towards risk aversion, many companies are adding steps to reduce cheating in a remote environment. Many companies are doing away with the traditional multi-interview selection process completely. Group interviews like coding and technical interviews are fast becoming the norm. Not only do they help managers assess candidates on the same day, but also extend offers to candidates much faster.
It’s an interesting and promising prospect: using AI to ensure that companies only hire honest employees who won’t rip them off.
