Candidate Fraud in Hiring: How to Spot It and How Sherlock Helps?

If you’ve been recruiting for a while, you’ve probably sensed it - something in the hiring landscape has shifted. On paper, candidates look stronger than ever. But in interviews and assessments, the story doesn’t always add up. Welcome to the age of candidate fraud, one of the fastest-growing challenges in modern hiring.

According to HR Dive, nearly 1 in 4 candidate profiles could be fake by 2028. And in a recent Newsweek survey, 59% of hiring managers said they’ve suspected candidates of using AI or coaching tools to misrepresent themselves during interviews.

From deepfake resumes to proxy test takers and AI-assisted interviews, deception is evolving faster than traditional vetting methods can keep up.

That’s where Sherlock, the world’s most advanced forensic-first AI proctoring tool, comes in. Unlike basic monitoring systems that simply record a video or lock a browser, Sherlock goes deeper - analyzing forensic signals like typing rhythm, gaze direction, environmental audio, and behavioral consistency across interviews and assessments.

The result? Recruiters see the real candidate, not their digital twin.

Watch how Sherlock catches candidate fraud in real time

Different Types of Candidate Fraud in Hiring

Let’s break down the major types of candidate fraud and what you should expect from a modern solution to catch them.

1. Resume Fraud

It starts where every hiring process begins - the resume. In an era where generative AI can craft flawless professional histories in seconds, resume fraud has quietly become one of the biggest threats to fair hiring.

From fabricated job titles and invented degrees to inflated technical skills, falsified resumes are flooding applicant pipelines.

According to a survey by HireRight (cited by SHRM), 85% of hiring professionals reported uncovering a lie or misrepresentation on a candidate’s application. More recently, the research from Resume.org found that 6 in 10 candidates who submitted fraudulent resumes actually landed jobs in 2024.

That’s where Sherlock changes the game. By connecting what candidates claim with how they actually perform, Sherlock exposes discrepancies invisible to the human eye.

• If someone claims to be a senior developer but struggles with basic logic, Sherlock’s forensic analysis flags the inconsistency.

• If a resume lists multiple certifications, Sherlock cross-verifies them through behavioral and skill-based indicators during testing.

• Even subtle performance anomalies - like irregular response latency or cognitive lag - are detected automatically.

Sherlock doesn’t just spot fake resumes - it proves authenticity.

An example of a fraud resume Source: dataspace.com

2. Assessment Fraud

Once candidates pass the resume stage, the next barrier is assessments - and this is where fraud gets more sophisticated. Remote testing and AI tools have made it easier than ever for applicants to outsource or cheat on pre-employment assessments.

A survey of nearly 3,000 job-seekers by Capterra found that 58% of candidates are using AI tools in their job search. Among them, 83% admit to using AI to exaggerate or lie about their skills in resumes, cover letters, applications, or skills assessments.

This is exactly where Sherlock’s forensic-first AI offers unmatched precision. Rather than simply locking a browser or tracking tab switches, Sherlock builds a forensic profile across the entire assessment process:

• Typing biometrics: Detects unique typing rhythms to confirm identity.

• Voice and audio verification: Analyzes acoustic patterns to flag background coaching or dual voices.

• Continuous video presence: Ensures the same person appears throughout the assessment - not a proxy.

• Behavioral entropy analysis: Identifies unnatural response consistency typical of AI-generated answers.

With these signals combined, Sherlock doesn’t just catch fraud after it happens - it prevents it in real time. Recruiters can instantly verify whether the candidate who completed the test is the same person who will show up for the interview.

Source: pivotalsolutions.com

3. Interview Fraud

For years, recruiters assumed that a live interview was the ultimate authenticity check - a real conversation, face-to-face, where skills and personality would surface naturally.
But that confidence is now being challenged.

The rise of AI-assisted interviews, hidden prompts, and even proxy participants has turned live interviews into one of the most exploited stages in hiring.

A recent Newsweek survey found that 59% of hiring managers suspect candidates of using AI or coaching tools to misrepresent themselves during interviews.

Some candidates now rely on covert tech - like smart glasses that stream interview questions to a hidden helper, or ChatGPT prompts displayed off-screen - to appear competent in real time.

That’s where Sherlock’s forensic audio and video intelligence redefines integrity in interviews.
Instead of simply recording video feeds, Sherlock analyzes authentic human presence through deep forensic signals. With Sherlock, interviewers don’t have to play detective.

They receive subtle alerts during the call when behavior deviates from natural human interaction - so decisions stay focused on skill, not suspicion.

4. Background Fraud

Sometimes the fraud doesn’t come from the candidate directly, but from their environment. Fake virtual backgrounds, muted coaching from another room, or even complete proxy browsing setups where someone else takes the call.

As Daon notes, “fraudsters deploy deepfakes and fabricated backgrounds that appear legitimate, while sometimes receiving off-camera coaching or using another individual to complete the process.”

That’s why Sherlock’s environmental forensics go far beyond simple face detection.
It continuously monitors audio-visual continuity, ensuring the environment around a candidate behaves naturally:

• Ambient sound mapping: Detects room acoustics that don’t match the visible setting or reveal a muted secondary voice.

• Virtual-background integrity: Flags when a background image, lighting, or depth of field doesn’t match real camera motion.

• Presence continuity: Ensures the same person remains in frame across the entire session - no mid-call swaps.

• Network and device forensics: Identify when connections or IPs change abnormally, suggesting proxy involvement.

Sherlock’s advantage lies in its subtlety - it doesn’t just look at the candidate, it listens around them. Recruiters gain confidence that every pixel and sound wave aligns with authentic presence.

Source: https://www.pindrop.com/article/targeted-by-deepfake-candidates/

The Strategies That Actually Work

Candidate fraud isn’t random - it’s systematic.

Fraudulent behavior shows up at every stage of the hiring funnel, from application to interview, often going unnoticed by conventional tools that focus only on surface-level checks.

Sherlock’s forensic-first design isolates the four stages where fraud typically appears - and adds layers of invisible verification that catch what traditional tools miss.

Screening and Verification

Basic ID checks confirm documentation, but they don’t prove continuity. Sherlock validates identity across multiple sessions - matching biometric and behavioral data to ensure the same candidate is present from start to finish.

Proctoring and Monitoring

Most proctoring tools only watch what’s visible. Sherlock analyzes unseen patterns - typing cadence, voice texture, and gaze flow - to detect external coaching or AI dependence in real time.

Supporting Interviewer Vigilance

Recruiters shouldn’t have to play detective. Sherlock provides subtle, data-driven cues (like signal mismatches or unusual latency patterns) that empower interviewers without bias or distraction.

Forensic Signals - The Differentiator

This is Sherlock’s breakthrough. It reads micro-patterns - pauses, speech entropy, and gaze dynamics - to build a unique authenticity fingerprint. That fingerprint confirms that the person who took the test is the same person sitting in the interview.

Source: pixabay.com

Why Sherlock?

Most proctoring tools stop at “watching” candidates. Sherlock goes deeper by analyzing how they behave and interact. It combines multiple data points - video, audio, typing patterns, gaze direction, even background noise - to create a forensic profile of authenticity.

Read: 5 ways to prevent candidate fraud without harming candidate experience

It doesn’t replace recruiters or interviewers. Instead, it gives them the confidence that the person sitting in front of them is the real one, answering questions on their own merit.

Fraud in hiring isn’t going away - it’s only becoming more sophisticated. But that doesn’t mean recruiters have to accept it as part of the process. With forensic-first solutions like Sherlock, you can keep the process fair, protect the integrity of your team, and ensure that when you make an offer, it’s to someone who truly earned it.