Are Your References Credible? You Would Be Surprised
When it comes to references, most people are honest. After all, it’s not hard for a reasonable adult to provide a few references. Old bosses, mentors, colleagues, and community leaders can often step in to vouch for someone.
Unfortunately, some people will take the unethical route of faking their references. You need to be careful. It’s important to understand how to confirm the credibility of a reference.
The Business of Faking References
It is possible to hire a company to create fake references for you.
This is a terrible idea. Even if you manage to get a job with fake references, you will probably get fired in the first few days. You will not be qualified for the job. Nonetheless, there is a market for this service.
Aaron Sankin wrote an exposé on this subject for The Daily Dot back in 2013 (https://www.dailydot.com/business/career-excuse-fake-job-references/). He hired a fake reference company as an experiment. Using this service, he was able to create a fake website purporting to be the home page of an accounting firm in Texas. He even set up a phone number and email address for the firm.
If an employer called his old “boss”, they would receive an email response within a day. In this way, Aaron was able to create a convincing fake reference for himself.
How to Verify References
The best way to avoid being fooled by a fake reference is a background check.
This will confirm the applicant’s employment history, credit history, and criminal background. No matter how badly someone hopes to fool you, if you do a background check, you’ll find the real information.
You should have a better idea now about the methods people will use to try and trick you. Don’t let fake references slip under your radar. When in doubt, use a background check to get the real info.