How to Prevent Job Fraud

Job fraud is used describe fraudulent or deceptive practices by employees against employers and prospective employers. There are several forms of job fraud which include but are not limited to:

Resume Fraud / Application Fraud: Employees who knowingly misrepresent themselves by offering false or exaggerated information on applications and resumes are guilty of job fraud. This type of act may or may not be a violation of criminal law, but it is almost always enough for dismissal of the employee.

Fake Credentials: An applicant who provides false documentation of educational honors, licenses, certifications, etc. is guilty of job fraud.

Providing False References / Former Employer Information: Some applicants may attempt to gain preference for a job by falsely providing references or providing completely fictitious references. In some cases the applicant may even commit this type of job fraud by asking a friend or relative to pose as a former boss to provide false verification of prior employment.

Moonlighting: Current employees of a company who get a second job with the intention of sleeping through their late night shift while collecting payment for work not performed are committing job fraud against their second employer.

Time Card Fraud: Clocking in at the beginning of the day and leaving soon after only to return at the end of the day to clock out is a type of job fraud that is easy to commit in crowded workplace settings like large factories. Employees may also cooperate with other employees of the same company so that they don't even have to be present to clock in and out for work.

Pre-Employment Training Fraud: When a job requires an amount of paid training prior to full time employment an applicant may only intentionally stay with a company long enough to be trained before quitting. This happens in cases when company training offers some type of license or certification upon completion. The applicant would then take their new certification over to a higher paying company that doesn't offer training but requires that employees be trained prior to being hired.

As you can see there are plenty of ways for employees to defraud their employers. There are several simple steps that employees can take to combat job fraud. Some ways to combat job fraud include:

Hire a Professional: Investing in a professional background investigation company to look over employee applications is perhaps the best way to make sure that no unqualified people make their way into the full time ranks. Private investigators who specialize in background investigations will have many more resources available to check the information on applications for discrepancies.

Google It: Any time a past place of employment is listed type the information into a search engine. All of the company contact information should match what is listed on the application or resume. If a former boss is listed as a reference he or she should be called at work, never at home. Calling a personal phone number to talk to a former boss increases the odds that the prospective employer is talking to a friend or relative of the applicant and posing as a former boss. Be weary of a "former boss" of an established company who doesn't want to provide an office number.

Check on Your Employees: Any supervisor who doesn't check on their own employees during a late night shift is just asking for one of his guys to fall asleep. Supervisors should conduct constant checks of his personnel to ensure that they are performing the job that they were hired to do. Employees who work late shifts may think that they are able to get away with slacking off because there are so few other people around at night. The usefulness of personnel who can't stay awake at night should be closely examined by the employer.

Keep a Roster: Supervisors should maintain a roster of employees who should be at work during certain times and conduct periodic head counts of the work area to make sure that all employees are present. An employee who is constantly missing from the work site should raise a few red flags. Make sure to keep an eye on the machine that employees use to clock in and out to ensure that employees only punch one card at a time.

Require a Commitment: A company that provides paid training prior to employment should require some type of commitment from employees. For example, a company might make prospective employees sign an agreement promising to pay back the cost of the training if they fail to remain with the company for less than a pre-determined length of time.