There has been a 30 percent rise in employment fraud during the pandemic compared with the same period last year, according to verification company TrueProfile.io

Amid rising unemployment rates, the company discovered the increase during a global survey of its verification assessments, along with an overall increase of 15 percent in fraudulent degrees, identification, employment certificates and licenses.

René Seifert, co-head of TrueProfile.io said the area in which people embellish their experience most is by changing their previous job title, responsibilities or adding extra years of experience.

“The pandemic has caused an increase in unemployment rates. Additionally, the increase in online learning, working from home and access to the internet allows diploma mills – an unregulated institution of higher education granting degrees with few or no academic requirements - to flourish,” he said. 

“Together, these conditions mean that fraudulent applications can thrive, and it’s becoming more difficult for employers to detect them,” he added.

TrueProfile.io conducted a survey among job applicants globally to predominantly GCC employers and observed a rise in fraudulent applications.

The Dubai-based company stressed the importance of having appropriate recruitment processes in place, especially in high-risk sectors. 

“For employers in high-risk sectors such as healthcare, hiring an unqualified candidate can literally be the difference between life and death, so it’s critical that organisations implement processes to evade this and protect both themselves as well as their patients or customers,” Seifert said.

(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Seban Scaria)

(imogen.lillywhite@refinitiv.com)

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Read our full disclaimer policy here.

© ZAWYA 2021