Hiring fraud is no longer a fringe risk. It has become a fast-evolving, multi-layered threat impacting every stage of the recruitment lifecycle — from attraction to onboarding and beyond. For APSCo members, operating at the sharp end of professional recruitment, understanding these risks (and acting on them) is critical to protecting clients, candidates, and your own brand.
Drawing on insights from the Better Hiring Institute’s Hiring Fraud Guide 2.0, as presented by Keith Rosser at the APSCo Legal & Compliance Forum last week, here’s where the biggest risks are right now — and what you can do about it.
The data is stark:
Hiring fraud is now firmly on the radar of the Home Office and National Crime Agency, reflecting how it intersects with wider risks including organised crime, cyber threats, and modern slavery.
APSCo members sit in a unique position of trust — acting as gatekeepers between candidates and employers. That makes recruitment firms an attractive entry point for fraudsters seeking:
The implication is clear: fraud prevention is no longer just an employer responsibility — it’s a core recruitment competency.
Professionalised services now sell fake employment references, complete with convincing contact details.
Risk: Candidates can fabricate entire job histories and pass basic checks.
Impact: Financial loss, insider fraud, and reputational damage.
Prevention focus:
From fake certificates to entirely fabricated degrees, qualification fraud continues to grow.
High-profile example: A fake NHS doctor practised for over 20 years using forged credentials.
Prevention focus:
AI has lowered the barrier to creating highly convincing fake IDs, licences, and certifications.
Risk areas: Construction, healthcare, logistics, and regulated professions
Prevention focus:
Still one of the most common and overlooked risks.
Typical tactics:
Prevention focus:
Fraudsters are impersonating your brand to exploit jobseekers.
Common tactics:
Prevention focus:
AI is transforming hiring fraud — fast.
Emerging threats:
Prevention focus:
An increasing trend, particularly in remote roles.
Risks:
Prevention focus:
With rising enforcement activity, compliance risk is growing.
Prevention focus:
Complex recruitment supply chains can hide weak compliance.
Key issues:
Prevention focus:
A growing and sophisticated threat.
Example: Overseas actors posing as remote IT workers to gain access to systems and data.
Prevention focus:
The key takeaway is simple: Hiring fraud is no longer a compliance issue — it’s a strategic business risk.
For APSCo members, this creates both risk and opportunity.
To stay ahead, APSCo members should:
1. Strengthen Screening
2. Upskill Recruiters
3. Standardise Across Supply Chains
4. Leverage Industry Collaboration
Fraudsters are innovating — quickly. But so is the recruitment industry.
By combining technology, collaboration, and professional standards, APSCo members are uniquely positioned to lead the response — raising the bar for safe, compliant, and trustworthy hiring across the UK. The question is no longer if hiring fraud will impact your business — but how prepared you are when it does.
This week also marks the Parliamentary launch of the Better Hirer Scheme, where a new self-assessment model will be unveiled, designed to recognise and promote fair, responsible and effective hiring practices.
Acknowledgements to the Better Hiring Institute.
APSCo members can also find relevant resources and guidance here.