Applicant Fraud and How to Detect Fake Candidates

Applicant fraud is no longer a fringe issue—it’s becoming a structural risk in talent acquisition. As AI tools make it easier to fabricate resumes, manipulate interviews, and even generate synthetic identities, recruiters face mounting pressure to verify credibility without sacrificing candidate experience. Gartner projects that by 2028, 25% of job candidates globally could be fake (Gartner, 2023), signaling a major shift in how organizations must approach hiring governance and risk mitigation.

So how can talent leaders balance speed, candidate experience, and fraud detection in an AI-driven market? 

In this episode, host Lamees Abourahma welcomes Matt Corbett, President of ZRG Embedded Recruiting RPO, and Dan Harten of HireEZ, Customer Marketing Strategist, to explore five levels of applicant fraud (from AI-assisted embellishment to state-sponsored infiltration) and outline practical, recruiter-led strategies to build more fraud-resilient hiring practices in 2026 and beyond.

Connect with guests:

Follow Matt Corbett on LinkedIn.
Follow Dan Harten on LinkedIn. 

About the Podcast

Time to Hire is produced by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA), the leading authority on recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) foresight and innovation, and the trusted convener for the global RPO community. Through conversations with industry leaders, the podcast explores the trends, insights, and innovations shaping the future of talent acquisition.

Learn more about RPOA and join the community at: https://www.rpoassociation.org.

Follow the host, Lamees Abourahma, on LinkedIn.

Transcript

The Rising Threat of Applicant Fraud

Lamees Abourahma: [00:00]
Imagine discovering that the candidate you just flew in for an onsite interview isn’t the same person you interviewed on the phone—or that a quarter of the profiles in your candidate pipeline could be fake by 2028.

Applicant fraud isn’t a future risk anymore. It’s reshaping how talent leaders must recruit today.

Welcome to Time to Hire, the podcast from the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association, where we explore the stories and strategies shaping the future of talent acquisition. I’m your host, Lamees Abourahma.

In this episode, I welcome two outstanding guests: Matt Corbett, President at CRG Embedded Recruiting RPO and RPOA Advisory Board Member, and Dan Harton, Customer Marketing Strategist at HireEasy. Together, they unpack the new realities of applicant fraud—from AI-enhanced resumes and fake identities to bots and even state-sponsored candidates—and what that means for recruiters and talent leaders.

Let’s start with introductions.

Introductions & Industry Context

Matt Corbett: [02:05]
Thanks, Lamees. I’m originally from the UK and have lived in Boston for 35 years. My career has been entirely in the talent space—starting in tech consulting, moving into executive search, then in-house at Google, and eventually founding an RPO that CRG acquired three years ago.

I’m deeply passionate about talent and particularly fascinated by how AI is accelerating every aspect of the labor market.

Dan Harton: [03:30]
Thank you for having me. I lead the customer marketing team at HireEasy. Before moving into marketing, I spent most of my career as a recruiter—building teams at Amazon and AWS, then moving into executive search at Meta.

Today, I speak with talent leaders daily about what’s happening in the recruiting landscape—especially around applicant fraud. This conversation is about understanding what’s happening and what teams can do now to prepare.

Applicant Fraud: Not New—But Rapidly Evolving

Dan Harton: [05:15]
Matt, when did you first encounter applicant fraud? And what’s different today?

Matt Corbett: [05:25]
The first time I encountered applicant fraud was during the dot-com boom in the 1990s. We were hiring engineers, and the person we interviewed wasn’t the one doing the work.

So this isn’t new—but it has evolved dramatically.

Today, around 60% of hiring teams suspect candidates are using AI at some point in the process. Gartner projects that by 2028, one in four candidate profiles globally could be fake. SHRM reports that 30–40% of recruiters hiring for tech and remote roles have encountered fake applicants or bots.

This is no longer isolated—it’s systemic.

The Five Types of Applicant Fraud

Matt Corbett: [09:40]
We categorize applicant fraud into five types:

1. AI-Assisted Embellishment – Enhanced resumes or exaggerated experience using AI.
2. Identity Fraud – Candidates presenting as someone they are not.
3. Skills Fraud – Presenting fabricated portfolios or work samples.
4. Fraud-as-a-Business Model – Organized operations placing fake candidates on payroll.
5. State-Sponsored Infiltration – Individuals placed to extract intellectual property or sensitive data.

The risk level escalates significantly across those five.

Real-World Example: The Wrong Candidate

Dan Harton: [12:45]
Years ago, we flew in a candidate for an SAP engineering role. After the in-person interview, we realized he wasn’t the person we spoke to on the phone.

That gut punch feeling sticks with you. And it’s happening more often today—just in more sophisticated ways.

Why Applicant Fraud Is Rising

Matt Corbett: [14:30]
There are four primary drivers:

• The rise of remote work, reducing in-person verification
• Rapid advancement of AI tools
• The openness of the U.S. labor market
• Increased motivation to access corporate systems and intellectual property

The environment has created opportunity and incentive.

Practical Detection Strategies for Recruiters

Matt Corbett: [17:15]
There are simple, powerful actions teams can take:

• Require cameras on during interviews—no exceptions
• Watch for consistent response delays that suggest AI prompting
• Ask layered follow-up questions to test depth
• Conduct live coding or real-time whiteboarding
• Deep-dive into portfolio work and require candidates to explain context
• Reinstate thorough reference checks

Basic due diligence now carries significantly more weight.

Training & Empowering Recruiters

Dan Harton: [21:50]
This isn’t about becoming cynical. It’s about awareness.

Recruiters need training on modern red flags. Just as we once reviewed resumes line-by-line with a red pen, we now need digital red-flag frameworks.

Empower teams to say, “Something feels off.” Document it. Escalate it. Build cross-functional fraud committees including legal and IT partners.

Matt Corbett: [23:40]
Exactly. Recruiters should feel empowered—not afraid—to raise concerns. This is part of modern due diligence.

Technology’s Role: Enable, Don’t Replace

Dan Harton: [27:10]
Technology can assist detection but won’t replace human judgment.

At HireEasy, we’ve introduced features that detect hidden resume prompts, conflicting information, and invisible text manipulation. These tools don’t make decisions—they provide insight so recruiters can dig deeper.

Matt Corbett: [28:45]
Hiring is still fundamentally human. Technology helps surface signals—but human interaction remains the ultimate verification layer.

A Real-Time Catch: The Syracuse Example

Matt Corbett: [30:15]
I recently interviewed a candidate claiming to have attended Syracuse University. Before the call, I reviewed campus maps.

During the interview, I casually asked which residence hall they lived in and how they navigated campus.

They couldn’t answer.

Small preparation steps can reveal major inconsistencies.

Final Thoughts: Fraud-Resilient Hiring in 2026

Lamees Abourahma: [33:10]
We’ve explored why applicant fraud matters, how it’s evolving, and practical steps recruiters can take today.

It’s clear this is a recruiter-level responsibility—supported by technology but driven by human insight.

Matt, Dan—thank you both for an insightful and timely conversation.

Matt Corbett: [34:30]
Thank you.

Dan Harton: [34:35]
Appreciate it.

Lamees Abourahma: [34:40]
If you enjoyed this episode of Time to Hire from the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association, leave us a review wherever you listen. Stay connected, stay engaged, and stay informed on what’s shaping the future of talent acquisition.