Refers to deceptive practices used by job applicants, contractors, or intermediary organizations during the hiring process to misrepresent qualifications, identity, experience, skills, work authorization, location, or actual participation in work activities.

Historically, candidate fraud often involved falsified résumés, fabricated credentials, or exaggerated experience claims. The rise of remote work, AI tools, digital hiring systems, and globally distributed hiring markets has expanded the scale and sophistication of candidate fraud practices.

Examples of fraud include falsified résumés or employment histories; fake degrees, certifications, or licenses; impersonation during virtual interviews; use of another individual to complete technical interviews or assessments; AI-assisted interview deception; misrepresentation of geographic location or work authorization; synthetic identities or fabricated online professional profiles ; and “proxy workers” who differ from the person originally hired .

Candidate fraud has increased in remote and hybrid hiring environments where identity verification and skills validation may be more difficult. The issue has become especially visible in technology, cybersecurity, engineering, and remote freelance labor markets. The growing use of AI-generated content, deepfakes, voice cloning, and automated interview support tools has complicated employer efforts to authenticate candidates and verify skills. As a result, some employers are expanding background screening, digital identity verification, credential verification, live technical assessments, and skills-based evaluation practices.