Deepfaked! Episode 277

"Deepfake Detection: How to Spot Fake Candidates"

Can you spot a deepfake?

This is a massive wake-up call, because the job market just got a whole lot shadier. In this eye-opening episode of jobTopia: The Learning and Development Podcast, we dive headfirst into the wild world of deepfakes, fraudsters, and candidates who think they can outsmart the system with AI and a little too much creativity. Host Tony and his guests, Emmanuel and Mehal, peel back the curtain on the rising tide of hiring scams—because apparently, some people would rather fake their way to a paycheck than, you know, actually do the work. With a mix of tech savvy, industry insight, and just the right amount of snark, this episode is your guide to spotting the snakes in the hiring den.

Meet Emmanuel Toutain, CEO TurboCheck & Mehul Bhatt, CEO Flocareer

 

What’s This Episode About? The job market is a jungle, and thanks to AI, it’s easier than ever for fraudsters to slither through the cracks. From fake LinkedIn profiles to deepfake interviews that’d make Nicolas Cage and John Travolta jealous, candidates are pulling out all the stops to game the system. Tony and his guests break down the chaos: why it’s happening, how it’s happening, and what employers can do to avoid getting duped by a digital doppelgänger. Spoiler alert: It’s not just about checking resumes anymore.

Key Takeaways

• The Layoff Lowdown: The tech industry’s been on a rollercoaster, with mass layoffs sparked by post-COVID overhiring and a race to “optimize” workforces. Big tech companies like Google and Microsoft are trimming staff, blaming everything from boardroom pressure to AI efficiency. The result? A flooded job market where desperate candidates are turning to fraud to stand out.

• Fraudsters Are Winning (Sort Of): One in five candidates is pulling some kind of stunt during interviews—think ChatGPT on speed dial, fake IDs, or even full-on organized scam centers with 20-30 people pretending to be U.S.-based developers while sharing the same Wi-Fi in a basement somewhere. Yes, it’s that bad.

• Deepfakes Are Here, and They’re Creepy: Forget cheap fakes—candidates are using AI to swap faces in real-time, making you think you’re interviewing one person while someone else (or no one at all) is behind the screen. Emmanuel’s live demo of face-swapping tech will leave your jaw on the floor.

• The Fraud Funnel: Up to 30-40% of candidates at the top of the hiring funnel are faking something—resumes, skills, or entire identities. Some are even juggling multiple jobs or subcontracting gigs to overseas teams. Others? They’re after your company’s data for corporate espionage or a quick buck on the dark web.

• How to Fight Back: Emmanuel (from TurboCheck) and Mehal (from FloCareer) are on the front lines with complementary fraud-detection tools. From vetting digital identities to monitoring interview behavior (like sneaky tab-switching or phone-based AI copilots), their platforms help employers separate the superheroes from the supervillains.

• The Sad Reality: 62% of U.S. driver’s licenses have been compromised, and fake IDs are a steal at $25-$80 online. Combine that with AI-powered proxies and candidates who only “exist” on LinkedIn, and you’ve got a recipe for hiring disaster. Trust is dead, and recruiters are heartbroken.

Why You Should Care If you’re hiring, you’re a target. Fraudsters don’t care about your company’s reputation or the millions in damages they could cause—whether it’s losing a major client or getting hit with a data breach. This episode is a wake-up call to get skeptical, get tech, and get ahead of the scammers. Because let’s be re