AI-powered tools are a major threat to HR and recruitment teams. How can they be sure they are covering all bases in terms of ensuring candidates are who they claim to be? Peter Cleverton explains.
Cifas is the UK’s largest non-profit fraud prevention service. According to Cifas there were over 237,000 identity fraud cases reported in 2023.
It’s getting worse. Cifas’s blog on the outlook 2025 stated that “early indicators of increased fraud levels” were reported.
It is more important than ever to verify identity. With the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated AI-generated tools that are used to deceive potential employers, HR has a heavy burden.
Between the first day of the candidate who is hired and the advertisement for the position, a lot happens. All those intermediate steps are crucial for determining two things.
Background Checks
Does your candidate meet the required criteria for the position, have the necessary skills and experience and fit with the team and/or company culture?
Although some information can be found in a CV, a covering letter, or during an interview, it is important to verify one thing before making a job offer: that the individual being interviewed is the same person whose credentials have been examined.
The most important background check an employer can do on a new hire is to confirm that the candidate is indeed who they say they are.
If the ID you are verifying does not belong to the candidate, it could lead to the hiring of someone who is unqualified for the position. This could have a negative impact on your workforce’s productivity, your brand’s reputation or even legal implications for your business.
Employers should consider two factors when verifying candidate IDs: first, whether the ID provided by the candidate is valid and authentic, and second, whether the ID is theirs.
Here are a few key points to consider for companies who choose to verify IDs of candidates in-house:
Familiarity of the different types of international IDs: The UK passport and driving license are not the only international identification documents.
Many countries issue their own government-issued ID. For businesses looking to hire international talent, this means that anyone tasked with inspecting the IDs of candidates must be familiar with all forms of ID that are valid globally and confident that they can detect if anything looks amiss.
Recognising signs: The rise of generative AI technology has made it easier to fool biometric authentication systems and create fake documents and synthetic identities.
The signs of identity theft can be subtle, and difficult to detect without training.
There are also other checks that can be used to detect ID fraud. For example, a cross-check of an ID against fraud databases, or a validation of the Machine-Readable Zone on a document (MRZ), are both not possible with a manual in-person ID verification.
How do I check an ID remotely? When you hire remotely, whether it’s for individuals in another country or those who are not within walking distance of your office, how can you verify the ID of a candidate? You can ask them to send their ID via tracked delivery for extra security.
“Identity fraud signs can be very subtle and difficult to detect with an untrained eye.”
This process can scare away genuine candidates, as they may be worried about their identity being stolen or lost.
You could also ask the candidates to email you a photo or scan of their identification. Digital images are easier to manipulate, however, than physical IDs. This is because, for example, replacing the photo on the ID of the original owner with one of yourself can be risky.
Confirming that the ID belongs to your candidate:Once the candidate’s ID or a digital version of it has been obtained, you should confirm whether the ID is actually theirs.
If you’re checking the identity of a candidate remotely, such as over a video chat, tech-savvy candidates may use tools like generative AI, masks, or screen images to appear as though they are the person who provided their ID.
It may seem like a scene from a movie but this type of presentation attack is real and can be difficult to detect without an “liveness” digital check.
Keeping on task
It’s unlikely that you hired your HR team because they were encyclopaedic in their knowledge of international identification documents.
Most people would rather not spend time verifying the IDs of candidates, so they can focus on other tasks.
It can be stressful and time-consuming for the person who is responsible to conduct an internal identity verification check. Nobody wants to make a mistake.
Third-party digital ID services offer global coverage, rapid validation and multiple forms of ID. This provides a better experience both for businesses and candidates.
The ID verification process for candidates is fast, easy, and can be done anywhere using a mobile device. Their ID will never leave their possession.
Employers can rest assured that their specialist provider is equipped with the latest technology and tools to protect them from sophisticated identity fraud. This gives them more confidence when making hiring decisions.
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