How to hire a real person

Every time the deepfake Keanu Reeves shows up in my TikTok feed, I think it’s the real Keanu just making memes for my personal enjoyment. There are similar accounts for Jason Statham and Robert Pattinson, allegedly all run by the same person. They’re pretty harmless unless you think any deepfakes, even for good honest fun, are slowly training us to believe everything we see on the Internet.

Columnist Mike Elgan wrote that imposter employees are on the rise in the workplace, thanks to easy-to-use deepfake technology. Here’s how you can protect yourself when you’re hiring.

Include real identity verification before hiring, and make sure the identity matches the background screening. (Don’t assume your background provider is verifying identity.)

• Know the law in the state you’re in to find out what’s allowed in terms of biometric data collection.
• Do thorough background checks and criminal records checks, and verify identity throughout the hiring and onboarding process.
• If you’re doing background checks and identity verification on remote hires, do the same for in-office hires to avoid discrimination.

Embrace AI. Invest in automated fraud detection to evaluate resumes and job candidates. Fraud detection has been used for years in banking, insurance and other fields, and now also hiring.

Try to see everyone in person at least once. Consider abandoning all-remote hiring in favor of in-person interviews, even for remote staff. And bring in remote staff for in-house team-building quarterly or annually.

Don’t believe every resume. Rely more on skills assessment and testing for technical positions rather than resume-based claims of experience, certifications and education.

• Verify identities at the point of testing and follow up on test results with a post-test interview. Imposters are likely to seek employment elsewhere if they have to prove their qualifications.

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