What is CV Fraud and what are the consequences?


2nd May 2023

CV fraud is where a job applicant provides false information or overstatements on their CV. This can range from small overstatements, such as minor alterations of job titles and extra-curricular activities, to providing false qualifications and experience.

Worryingly, a recent report found that nearly 10% of people in the UK have lied on their CV in the last 12 months and 39% said they were not likely to report a colleague’s CV fraud. The consequences of CV fraud can be wide-reaching and could include dismissal from employment, criminal charges (including a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, if applicable), barring from certain professions and difficulty obtaining future jobs. For the employer, there is the risk of considerable reputational harm and financial loss.

Blake Morgan Associate Madeleine Mould considers the wide range of issues arising out of CV fraud in an article first published in the Reward Strategy digital magazine issue 240.

Madeleine also highlights the preventative steps employers should take such as:

  • Carrying out pre-employment screening checks (including right to work checks, which are of course required to establish a statutory excuse for the purposes of right to work legislation)
  • Carrying out DBS checks and obtain medical reports (if appropriate)
  • Verifying employment history, references, education and professional qualifications
  • Independently verifying membership of any professional bodies/registers

Read the article in full here.

If you need legal advice from anything in this article

Speak to one of our employment law experts today

Arrange a call

Enjoy That? You Might Like These:


articles

21 August
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) there are around 700,000 disabled people currently not in work but who want to work. Disabled people face higher barriers getting... Read More

articles

14 August
In April 2025, the Supreme Court held that the legal definitions of “woman”, “man” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. A transgender woman with a... Read More

articles

12 August
The Court of Appeal recently upheld the decisions of the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal that a senior social worker suffered direct race discrimination when she was subject to... Read More