What are fake interviews?

A fake interview occurs when the person who attends the interview isn’t the person who applied for the job, someone applies for a role using another person’s identity or credentials, or an AI deepfake impersonates a candidate.

Deepfakes use a person’s voice and face to produce an AI-generated video or image. With deep learning technology, AI studies patterns through facial recognition or audio recordings to recreate new material, often portrayed in a different context.

It’s possible for a fake interview to take place in person, but it’s much more common for job interview scams to take place via video interview.

Here are some sample scenarios to help you understand what a fake interview entails.

1. Ellen Lu applies for a software programmer position. They have an impressive resume, so you schedule a technical interview. On the day of the interview, another individual logs in, completes the interview assignment for them and is offered the position. When Lu joins your team, it soon becomes obvious they don’t have the technical skills displayed during the interview.
2. You advertise a freelance copywriting job. After reviewing applications, you schedule an interview with Christopher Garrison. However, “Christopher Garrison” is Sam Kirwa, a copywriter who found Garrison’s resume online and used it as his own.
3. After recruiting candidates with digital marketing backgrounds, you interview Meg Fee, a popular marketing influencer, to assist with your campaign. She appears in the video interview, yet it’s really a scam to impersonate Fee with deep learning technology.

Why are fake interviews a problem?

Job interview scams can make it difficult to meet your organization’s hiring needs for several reasons:

• Spending time reviewing the applicant’s resume, scheduling the interview and asking questions
• Hiring a candidate who doesn’t meet the minimum job requirements
• Rejecting other potential candidates with the skills and qualifications necessary for the role

Common signs of a fake interview

Some interviewees are successful at answering questions and demonstrating they could be a suitable addition to your team. However, several signs may indicate things may not be what they seem. Consider these common signs of a fake interview.

Different voices

Many organizations conduct phone screens before scheduling interviews. Phone screening helps narrow down your candidate list, making the interview process more manageable. If the voice you hear during an interview differs from the voice you heard during the phone screen, you may have encountered a fake interview.

Applicants using deepfakes may also have poor audio quality. An out-of-sync voice or strange background noise may signal AI use.

Interview discrepancies

During a fake interview, the interviewee may reveal information about themselves that doesn’t match the submitted resume.

You may notice these discrepancies:

• When you ask questions about the interviewee’s workplace or colleagues, their answers don’t match your industry knowledge. For example, if you know their current employer uses Software A for lead management, but the candidate says they use Software B, it may be a fake interview.
• When you ask technical questions, the candidate’s answers don’t match their previous job titles or years of experience. If a programmer can’t answer questions about debugging, loops or binary search trees, they may have used someone else’s resume to apply for the job.
• If you administer a writing assessment during the interview process, the finished product may have a completely different writing style than the candidate’s cover letter.
• The candidate is unable to speak to the information on their resume, such as their educational background.

Unusual technical issues

In some cases, candidates hire others to complete their interviews. They may do this if they don’t meet the minimum requirements for the job or if they’re not confident in their knowledge and skills. In this situation, the original applicant may be in the same room as the interviewee or communicate with the interviewee by phone.

When this happens, you may notice unusual technical issues. For example, if there’s a long pause every time you finish a question, the interviewee may be collaborating with the original applicant to appropriately respond.

You may notice sound or video issues. These issues typically arise when the interviewee needs to look up answers online or in their personal reference materials.

Fake references

If a candidate submits a list of references after their interview, review the names, phone numbers and job titles. The references listed should provide insight into the candidate’s skills, attitude, knowledge and work ethic. If the job titles don’t relate to the candidate’s previous experience or if the reference numbers listed on the candidate’s resume don’t match the companies’ Google Business Profiles (GBPs), you may have received fake references.

If you suspect the references may be deepfakes, consider the background noise, speaking patterns or pauses. If you conduct the reference call via video, you may spot a deepfake by assessing whether the person’s features look realistic or their side profile remains undistorted.

How to prevent fake interviews

To help you spot fake interviews, start by requiring candidates to meet your team in person or keep their cameras on during video interviews. If you can see a candidate at all times, it can be easier to pick up on the unusual behaviors described above.

It may also be helpful to implement a phone screening process. During the interview, you might ask questions about the applicant’s work experience, current job duties and professional skills. You might spot discrepancies more easily if you can compare the candidate’s interview performance with the notes from their screening call.