An ‘Insider Threat Week’ from March 6 to 10 by Cifas the UK fraud prevention trade body includes free webinars on Zoom from fraud industry figures. Morning sessions are exclusive to Cifas members and afternoon sessions open wider – today covered retail, warehouse and distribution; tomorrow, telco companies; Wednesday, asset finance, alternative lending, insurance and banking; Thursday, the public sector and Friday, businesses generally.
A survey for Cifas for the week has found that about one in 11 people in the UK have lied about their degree qualification on their CV over the last 12 months. The research, which was carried out among 2,000 adults, also showed a slight increase in the number of respondents who knew someone that had lied on their CV – ten percent when compared to 8pc a year earlier.
Despite lying on a CV or supplying false information on a job application being considered fraud, four out of 25 of those surveyed didn’t think that it was illegal. About three in ten of these (31pc) were aged between 16 and 24, indicating that school and university leavers may have been tempted to exaggerate their qualifications when applying for jobs, the trade association said.
When asked whether they would report a colleague who had lied on their CV, respondents were more likely to not report them (39pc) than to report them (28pc), while nearly a third (32pc) were unsure.
Cifas states that those that falsify information in a job application or on their CV face consequences, including the possibility of criminal prosecution as well as being recorded to the trade body’s Internal Fraud Database which may make it difficult to secure employment.
Tracey Carpenter, Insider Threat Manager for Cifas, said: ‘However tempting it may be to exaggerate qualifications or experience to stand out from other candidates, job seekers need to know that this type of dishonest behaviour comes with enormous personal consequences. As well as potentially jeopardising any future career opportunities, they could also face prosecution and a prison sentence. Dishonest individuals not only pose a risk to their employer but also to customers, other staff and shareholders, so organisations should look to better protect themselves by carrying out rigorous checks throughout the employee lifecycle to identify any potential fraud risks.’
About the survey
It was carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of Cifas with a sample of 2,000 UK adults. The researchers gave ten scenarios of someone committing first-party fraud. For this scenario, respondents were asked as to whether they, or someone they know, has lied on a CV, whether they thought this was a reasonable thing to do, and whether they’d report a colleague they found out had lied on a CV.
Cifas has produced a flyer for institutions to use to highlight the potential consequences of lying on a CV, targeted at those leaving formal education which can be downloaded here.
Picture by Mark Rowe: London, winter afternoon.
