Fraud Can Happen Either Way!

With more remote working processes, fraud can take place against employees too. As we have evolved into a hybrid-working system post the COVID-19 pandemic, fraud from fake employers has come to rise exponentially. Regardless of being a saving grace for most, work from home and hybrid-working setups also have their fair share of detrimental effects. 

Many people pretend to be hiring executives from major companies and fraud employees into leaving their jobs and choosing a new opportunity only to find out that they have been conned into it. Why the con? With hybrid-working setups, many times, employees are asked to foot the bill for work-related supplies upfront with the promise of being reimbursed. Once spent, the money is gone and so is your so-called employer.

After all, background checks can be carried out the other way around too. But with the remote-working, remote-hiring systems that are being followed, it becomes very hard to vet the agency or company hiring you, which leads to more fraudulent activities in every way possible. In just one quarter last year, 2022, we saw almost 22, 000 fraudulent hiring cases. 

On the other hand, employees are also scamming their employers in different ways. You could hire someone with an impressive profile only to later find out they are potentially major risks to your company. They may have a bad reputation or misrepresent themselves to infiltrate organizations to bleed them dry of their funds and long-standing clientele. Many times, we have noticed that employees take advantage of a company taking up training and building their skill-sets and then later it is found that the employee is not trustworthy. 

As this problem gets bigger and bigger, what should you do? Background checks, carried out diligently and strictly save you from major trouble; whether you are an employer or an employee. Instead of considering it an extra step or futile expense, consider background checks to be your saving grace from hiring an employee or choosing a new job offer that may ultimately prove to be a great risk to your future. This can damage your credibility on either side of the work-front; whether it’s your career or your company’s safety. It is essential for management, upper or middle-leveled, to be better involved in hiring practices to ensure that the right kind of employees are being inducted. Similarly, it is important to thoroughly check the viability of the organization you are stepping into by speaking with employees, connections and clientele; especially if you are unsure. 

Prevention is always better than punishment!