The FBI warned last week that people were interviewing for tech jobs using stolen identities, and even fake videos.
Specifically, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported on June 28 an increase in complaints about the use of stolen personal information, and even fake real-time video technology during Zoom interviews, by of some technical job candidates to misrepresent their work experience or lie about who is applying for the job.
The FBI said the rise in bogus applicants is primarily in software development, databases and other software-related jobs.
The good news is that the deepfake technology used for live interviews doesn't work, according to the FBI. (Video tends to lag audio, and other anomalies can reveal the fake identity for what it is.)
The bad news is that while live deepfake video technology may not yet mature in the not-too-distant future, remote hiring could be fraught with the use of AI-enabled digital fakes.
In the past, deepfakes were less sophisticated and remote job interviews were rare.
But in this post-COVID-19 world, remote interviews have become commonplace, and deepfakes continue to improve each year.
Remote workers, digital nomads, remote consultants, and remote temp workers will increasingly interview, hire, and interact remotely via text, audio, and video.
All of this can be spoofed, manipulated and automated by AI in ways that allow bad actors to work at companies and be compensated as imposters.
In fact, more than half of all US employees hired since the early days of the pandemic in March 2020 have never met any of their colleagues in person, according to a Green Building Elements survey.
Fake job applications have also recently become a technique for state-sponsored cyberattacks. For example, in May, the US State and Treasury Departments and the FBI issued a joint statement warning that US companies were hiring IT workers from North Korea.
Sometimes the employees were in North Korea and lied about their location. In others, they lied about their identity.
Either way, according to the FBI, hiring North Koreans is a violation of US sanctions, which carries a fine of around €330,000 per violation.
In general, the reality of remote work and remote hiring means hiring managers need to take extra care so you know exactly who you're hiring.
Fraud goes both ways
As bogus job applicants rise, so do bogus companies claiming to hire.
And the big resignation means millions of employees are seeking remote positions. Employment scams have increased during the pandemic, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Scammers advertise as recruiters and try to trick applicants into paying application processing fees or try to steal their personal information.
(Indeed.com has a good guide to avoiding job scams.)
Advice for the future: apply yourself!
The bottom line is that the future of work will involve much more hiring of remote employees, which means the risk of fraud is greatly increased.
The best advice for companies is to actively verify the identity and statements of job applicants. Also, make sure you know who you're hiring.
The same goes for job seekers. Beware of remote work technician job scams. Use Indeed's tips to identify jobs that are just scams.
Telecommuting and hiring can help companies and employees. But with these benefits comes increased risk and a new imperative to verify and re-verify exactly who is on the other side of the application process.
Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.