Employers are seeing a rise in catfish – a person pretending to be someone they’re not – applying for jobs. Why is identity theft on the rise? What can be done to prevent a catfish from joining your organization?
Identity theft occurs when one individual uses the personal identifying information (PII) of another individual. The PII can be used for several illegal activities, such as obtaining credit, receiving medical care, and trying to gain employment.
Identity theft is on the rise as ransomware attacks and cyberattacks have become widespread systemic issues. Data is out there, and it’s for sale. Individuals with criminal records are highly susceptible to identity theft as court documents that contain various pieces of PII are public records.
An individual purchasing an identity may have no idea that the identity they are purchasing belongs to someone with a criminal record.
A true catfish has all the correct data to provide – name, date of birth, and social security number. As all the information matches, there won’t necessarily be any red flags going off during the background check process. However, if the identity is associated with a criminal record, the record will be reported, and the record may contain some helpful clues. For example, if the criminal record shows the individual is currently incarcerated, that is a telltale sign that there is an identity issue.
Once the background check is complete, the I-9 process should be used to confirm identity and work eligibility. During the I-9 process, employers are required to inspect identity documents to ensure they appear genuine. Some items to look out for include:
· Crooked or mismatched typefaces
· Alterations or tampering, such as a glued-on photo
· Misspellings of official terms
· Laminated Social Security cards with a “not valid if laminated” warning
