Cyberr Guide
Hiring in the Deepfake Era
Deepfake hiring fraud is the use of AI-generated video, voice or documents by a candidate to misrepresent their identity during recruitment. This free guide explains who is behind it, how widespread it now is across the UK, Europe and North America, the red flags that expose it, and the verification framework hiring teams can put in place.
Deepfake technology is being successfully used in the hiring process to hide identities, creating significant business risk.
Criminals, fraudsters, and in some cases, nation states are using this technology as part of their arsenal to harvest information and infiltrate organisations.
We know first hand what this looks like in practice, as it happened to us when we posted a role for a backend engineer. Fortunately we caught them before it was too late, and our subsequent investigation uncovered a host of red flags and learnings.
This guide is built from our investigation, and includes practical advice on how to reduce risk in your hiring process.
Foreword by Jake Moore
Jake Moore is Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET and a regular commentator on cybersecurity and AI for BBC, ITV and Sky News, drawing on fourteen years in the police Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime Unit.
What the guide covers
- Who is behind these schemes and the motives driving them
- The scale of the problem across the UK, Europe and North America
- The red flags that identify fraudulent candidates in practice
- A verification framework to build into your hiring process
- The data protection and employment law considerations that apply
Who should read this
- Talent leaders, HR leadership, CPOs, CISOs and Security leaders responsible for the integrity of the hiring pipeline.
Watch what happened: the five-part series
This is the real hiring incident behind the guide. We documented what happened across five short episodes, roughly 8½ minutes end to end.
Read the written account →Samantha Swift also discussed the case at length in the longer-form Cyber All Day conversation.
Episode 1: The Perfect Candidate? (2:02)
On paper the applicant looked highly credible. Relevant backend engineering experience, a strong CV and a well-formed professional profile all pointed the right way, and the candidate had approached Cyberr’s CEO directly. This first episode sets out the picture the team had at the start, before anything looked out of place.
Episode 2: Something Felt Off (1:09)
The first interview produced a collection of small warning signs: audio and video that did not quite line up, noticeably delayed responses, and heavy reliance on a virtual background. No single one of these is proof of anything. What raised concern here was the pattern of them appearing together in one conversation.
Episode 3: The Unexpected Test (1:43)
The candidate had volunteered that they were a native Romanian speaker, so the team tested that claim during the conversation. The response, and the reluctance that came with it, added another inconsistency to the picture. It is a simple illustration of the value of checking information a candidate has offered up themselves.
Episode 4: Do You Know What Cyberr Does? (1:23)
Next the candidate was asked a straightforward question: what does Cyberr actually do? The answer was vague. That sat awkwardly against the earlier decision to approach Cyberr’s CEO directly, and it raised further questions for the team about the candidate’s motivation and their understanding of the company.
Episode 5: I Don’t Believe You Are Who You Say You Are (2:13)
With the inconsistencies stacking up, the team put the question directly to the candidate about who they really were. This final episode covers that confrontation, how the situation was handled in the moment, and how the interview and the wider internal investigation were brought to a close.
Frequently asked questions
What is deepfake hiring fraud?
Deepfake hiring fraud is when a candidate uses AI-generated video, voice or documents to misrepresent their identity during recruitment. Criminals, fraudsters and in some cases nation states use the technology to harvest information and infiltrate organisations through the hiring pipeline.
Who should read the Hiring in the Deepfake Era guide?
Talent leaders, HR leadership, CPOs, CISOs and security leaders responsible for the integrity of the hiring pipeline.
What does the guide cover?
The guide covers: Who is behind these schemes and the motives driving them; The scale of the problem across the UK, Europe and North America; The red flags that identify fraudulent candidates in practice; A verification framework to build into your hiring process; The data protection and employment law considerations that apply.
How do I get the guide?
Complete the short form on this page and the download link for the PDF appears immediately. The guide is free.