In light of
the latest reports from careers organisation, Prospects, that it has
investigated 200 potential cases of degree fraud in the last four years
and closed down 75 websites falsely offering UK degrees, leading global
provider of employment background checks, Sterling Talent Solutions [1],
has urged employers to ensure they are verifying information from applicants.
In news
revealed this week, Prospects highlighted a concerning number of fake degrees
that were being used by applicants and urged everyone involved in the
recruitment supply chain to ensure the correct verification procedures are in
place. This latest announcement comes at a time when false claims on CVs are on
the rise, with research from The University of Law stating that 51% of Brits
have felt pressure to lie on their application.
However,
despite the rise of fake education and training information on CVs, research
from Sterling revealed that one in five employers do not have a background
screening policy in place.
Steve
Smith, Managing Director EMEA at Sterling, explained why
businesses need to ensure they complete the necessary verification checks:
“In a world of
fake news where fraudsters are becoming ever more sophisticated in their use of
technology to fabricate educational and training credentials, it’s perhaps no
surprise that Prospects has unearthed a number of illegitimate websites.
However, while many firms are more than aware of the trend towards falsifying
applications, there’s still a worrying number of employers failing to implement
the right checks, exposing themselves, their staff and their company to
potential risk. You have to ask yourself, if an applicant has a fraudulent
degree, what else they are being less than honest about?”