Throughout the pandemic, the focus has deservedly been placed upon the safety of the entire global population. However, at the same time, there has been another unseen threat posed to the safety of the healthcare industry during the pandemic. Primary Source Verification provider, TrueProfile.io, reveals that the rate of employment fraud uncovered by their diligent verification team has risen by 30 per cent during the ongoing pandemic period.
TrueProfile.io is part of the DataFlow Group, a global provider of specialised PSV solutions, background screening and immigration compliance services which bears the responsibility of verifying the credentials of healthcare workers within the GCC. By assessing its global database of verification applicants, the increased fraud rates were discovered, and the insights also revealed that overall fraud rates, which refers to fraud on any verified documents including degrees, ID, employment certificates, licenses, throughout the pandemic also increased by 15 per cent when compared to the same period last year.
René Seifert, Co-Head of TrueProfile.io, explains: “These worrying figures highlight that there’s never been a more urgent need for healthcare professionals to be properly vetted during the application stage to ensure they truly have the qualifications they claim to have in the application stage. It’s particularly concerning to see that the area people tend to embellish the most is in relation to their previous employment by tweaking their title, responsibilities or adding extra years of experience to try to get the edge over other candidates.
“The pandemic has caused an increase in unemployment rates. Additionally, the increase in online learning, working from home and access to the internet allows diploma mills – an unregulated institution of higher education granting degrees with few or no academic requirements – to flourish. Together, these conditions mean that fraudulent applications can thrive, and it’s becoming more difficult for employers to detect them.”
He adds, “For employers in high-risk sectors such as healthcare, hiring an unqualified candidate can literally be the difference between life and death, so it’s critical that organisations implement processes to evade this and protect both themselves as well as their patients or customers.”
TrueProfile.io safeguards businesses against fraudulent candidates with false credentials by carrying out pre-employment checks to the highest standards to ensure compliance. By providing a technology-driven platform that connects international employers with trusted professionals, TrueProfile.io ensures that an applicant’s credentials have been verified at the source. This trusted environment allows businesses to mitigate risk and save time by making informed decisions about the individuals they choose to work with. TrueProfile.io also offers a verified recruiting service via a tool known as TrueProfile.io Recruiting, where employers can search hundreds of thousands of pre-verified candidates to find an employee with the right skills and experience.
René concludes: “The increase in employment fraud rates means that employers, regulators and recruiters need to act now to ensure that they don’t fall victim to fraudulent candidates. Ensure that a stringent recruitment process is in place to protect your business and the entire community that it operates within.”
For more information about TrueProfile.io’s verification services visit: www.trueprofile.io/ or email [email protected]
René Seifert
This article appears in the latest issue of Omnia Health Magazine. Read the full issue online today.
