19% ‘have lied on CV or know someone who has in the past 12 months’

Nearly a fifth (19%) of people have lied about a qualification on their CV, or know someone who has, in the past 12 months, according to a fraud prevention service.

The figure is slightly up from 17% who confirmed this when a similar survey was carried out in 2021, Cifas said.

Within the latest total, more than a third (38%) of 16 to 24-year-olds had lied on their CV or knew someone who had, along with three in 10 (30%) 35 to 44-year-olds.

The research also revealed that two in five people who suspected a colleague of CV fraud would not report it to their HR department, even if they could do so anonymously. This marked an increase from 2021 when a third of people said the same.

Cifas warned that job seekers who are found to have made fraudulent applications could risk ending up with a criminal record, as well as potentially being pursued through the courts for damages for “unjust enrichment” to their salary.

Cifas’ insider threat manager, Tracey Carpenter, said: “Whilst it may seem like a harmless exaggeration, there are very serious consequences associated with CV fraud, which can open up a gateway to other types of offences including bribery and employee theft.

“Employees who commit CV fraud can be vulnerable to blackmail or extortion from criminals eager to gain access to a company’s sensitive information in order to steal funds or commit further fraud. It also unfairly edges out those candidates who otherwise may have been more suited for the role.”

Ms Carpenter added that people committing CV fraud “also run the risk of being added to (Cifas’s) internal fraud database, which can severely hinder their future employment prospects”.

She said: “It may be tempting to stretch the truth on a CV, but it’s rarely worth it in the long run.”

Some 2,000 people across the UK were surveyed between late August and early September for the research.