Deepfake Videos-Another Scam For Employers to Worry About
With COVID, stretched budgets and the need to fill positions quickly, many employers have embraced online interviews. We all know that scam artists love to take advantage of situations like this. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center has reported an increase in complaints regarding stolen personal information and deepfake video software being used during online interviews.
Deepfake videos, in case you haven’t heard about it, is technology that makes it possible for someone to interview online with a fake persona (among other uses).
This rise has been predominantly in the database, software development or in related jobs. These deepfake scams appear to be a way to get the scammer hired as a remote worker so they can get into your company and have access to your system, including customers’ personally identifiable information.
Fortunately, at least for now, it is possible to spot these AI generated deepfake videos. But as technology goes, it doesn’t take long for the software to become more sophisticated. For those of us that are not too technical, it’s kind of like the software that makes gaming and movies have such realistic effects now. That type of technology can also easily be used for nefarious purposes!
And it doesn’t just affect employers, it also makes it scarier for job seekers to be sure they are giving their personal information to a real company. Since there continues to be a lot of people who prefer remote and contract work, candidates will need to be diligent to make sure they are being hired by a legitimate company and not someone scamming them for their personal information.
Here are a few tips to help you recognize deepfake videos:
- Pay close attention to the face. Look to see if it is too smooth or too wrinkly and doesn’t look like it matches the age of the eyes and hair. If you look closely, it just doesn’t look matched up.
- Look at the way the light and shadow show on the face. It should be consistent and move with the head movement.
- Look at facial hair and whether it looks natural. Hair is hard to make realistic.
- Do the glasses have a natural amount of glare and does the glare change when the person moves? Lighting is a good tip-off.
- Does the blinking look natural? Not too fast or too slow?
- Does the audio match up with the mouth’s movements? Do you hear any coughing, sniffing, sneezing in the background that doesn’t match the face on the screen?
Avoid the pitfalls of deepfake software
Online interviews can be a real time and budget saver for first interviews. That way you can weed out candidates that are not a good fit without wasting resources. However, if you are serious about a candidate, especially one that will have access to company and customer information, it is worth it to have at least one interview in person to avoid the pitfalls of deepfake software. And, as always, do not take shortcuts on your due diligence with background screening.
And just an FYI, it’s not just in the work world that deepfake software is used. Disinformation can be circulated in the same way, so be sure to be discerning in your social media consumption or any online transactions. It used to be that pictures and video didn’t lie, but now they do!
When you do find the right people, don’t forget to do your due diligence
Use a professional CRA (Consumer Reporting Agency) for your background screening. An experienced CRA will save you time and money while staying in compliance. They will go through all the gathered information and verify that it is accurate.
For a free consultation or more information, contact Genesis Background Screening Services at 866 944-0041 ext 101. Online, you can email or visit www.genesisbackgroundscreening.com. You can sign up to be emailed whenever we post a new blog at https://genesisbackgroundscreening.com/blog/
Genesis Background Screening is not a law firm and provides our blogs for informational purposes only. Blog is not a substitute for experienced legal advice. Research laws or regulations mentioned in our blogs. Ask your legal counsel any questions you have to be sure your organization is within the law and compliant with regulations.
Jacqueline McClure
Genesis Background Screening Services
