Applicant Fraud and How to Detect Fake Candidates

Applicant fraud is no longer a fringe issue—it’s becoming a structural risk in talent acquisition. As AI tools make it easier to fabricate resumes, manipulate interviews, and even generate synthetic identities, recruiters face mounting pressure to verify credibility without sacrificing candidate experience. Gartner projects that by 2028, 25% of job candidates globally could be fake (Gartner, 2023), signaling a major shift in how organizations must approach hiring governance and risk mitigation.So how can talent leaders balance speed, candidate experience, and fraud detection in an AI-driven market? In this episode, host Lamees Abourahma welcomes Matt Corbett, President of ZRG Embedded Recruiting RPO, and Dan Harten of HireEZ, Customer Marketing Strategist, to explore five levels of applicant fraud (from AI-assisted embellishment to state-sponsored infiltration) and outline practical, recruiter-led strategies to build more fraud-resilient hiring practices in 2026 and beyond.Connect with guests:Follow Matt Corbett on LinkedIn. Follow Dan Harten on LinkedIn. About the PodcastTime to Hire is produced by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA), the leading authority on recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) foresight and innovation, and the trusted convener for the global RPO community. Through conversations with industry leaders, the podcast explores the trends, insights, and innovations shaping the future of talent acquisition.Learn more about RPOA and join the community at: https://www.rpoassociation.org.Follow the host, Lamees Abourahma, on LinkedIn.