New employee is a fake, where to go from here?

[londonnotlangdon]

It's a large organisation and I just had to send off her paperwork, passport, things like that

She was given the job after her second interview last week.

However, she has emailed me these documents (fine), and her birth certificate says born in September 2002?

That makes her 19?

This is a problem because, for example, her CV says she was an Executive Assistant to a Director in 2018? When she would've been in school?!

I've asked HR, who haven't replied properly, I've asked them to call. But someone replied to my email of concern with 'so you don't want this new me ever of staff? Why not?'

What can actually be done about this?

Do let us know what HR says!

I can see your original post ☺️ MN is frustrating at the moment isn’t it

She may have the gift of the gab but so what it’s too much deception.

From reading all your posts it does sound like she is lying about her previous jobs and therefore her previous experience. Its abit convenient that 2 of the companies have gone under and the third still stands however the email addresses don't match up on their website. I think it looks very suspicious when you you add on all that alongside her age not matching with previous job titles. I do know of someone who has lied on their cv and given friends as references pretending they were their previous boss. I would be asking her to provide a work email address for a reference and also a telephone number for her previous job and given that you have suspicions I would contact the previous job and ask to speak to her previous boss asking for confirmation that she worked for the company and what her previous job entailed.

I think someone up the thread said it was 2012?

She’s blatantly bullshitting everything and that reference from the dodgy email is a mate, or even her! You’d be daft to employ her and have every reason to withdraw the offer.

isnt it an offence to receive a pecuniary advantage obtained by deception. I remember a case 20 years ago where someone went to prison for cv fraud. They wouldn’t have got the job without the lies on the cv and it was a criminal offence

Could there be an error on her birth certificate?. My DIL's birth cert says she was born im 1900! She was born in 1990 but up to now its never been an issue, but I keep telling her she ought to get it sorted.
No one in the passport office picked up on it, or other institutions.

It’s education training or employment

But it would have to be multiple 'typos' wouldn't it... Like PA at PWC (for example)..
Where both PA and PWC are typos?!

Assuming the birth cert is the correct one she's 18/19...

Or she'd have to have attached completely someone else's CV...

I once attached my boyfriend at the time CV to my job application... Claiming male ess and a doctorate in a subject I didn't even study at school level 😂

I've come across a CV where there were some oddities... Didn't add up... Turned out the person inadvertently mistyped her birth year (not to her advantage either!)

Who doesn’t put their date of birth on their CV?

@Seraphinesupport

I'm shocked!!

[sniggers]

Did she bring a P45? If not the employer has to apply for a tax code from HMRC.

If the birth date doesn't match the NI number you'll find out that way

The OP has confirmed she saw the original passport and birth certificate and took a copy. Both documents have the same DOB and no where has the applicant stated a different DOB. The applicant has met the right to work requirements and not lied about her DOB so this is not the issue.

The issue is the career history on the applicants CV. The fact the first two companies no longer exist means you can’t get a reference from them. In this situation I would do what a PP has said and phone her up and state
“thank you for supplying docs which confirm you are 19/20. We have some concerns about your CV as we have not been able to contact your first two employers. We would like some more information. Your CV states in 2015 when you were 13/14 you were working to Company and your job was xyz could you confirm how many hours you worked as legally (www.gov.uk/child-employment/restrictions-on-child-employment appears to be the same as 2015), as you were not permitted to work at 13 and at 14 the hours you could work were extremely limited. “ Continue in this vein as you go through her CV.”

If she claims she worked illegal hours state I know xx companies and they would comply with the law. I suspect you may find she confesses a very embellished CV.

Based on her answers you can retract the job offer for not being honest on her CV. Perfectly legitimate or you can employ her on probation. During probation test out her skills, if she’s competent then keep her on if not let her go. No age discrimination but either lying on CV or not up to the job. The fact the job pays £40 k is irrelevant.

Remember age is just a number and some very young people can have hugely responsible jobs. For example F1 drivers at 17/18/19 are telling engineers, often twice their age, what changes need to be made to a very complex piece of machinery, addressing and motivating teams of 100s or even 1000s of people to do their job, routinely speaking to the media and representing companies worth millions/billions.

You don't need to. It's advised not to for at least 10 years now to avoid ageism - on both ends

Frankly, I would cut your losses and ask HR to either withdraw the offer or tell her to provide checkable references.

I don’t know whether her motive for lying is a relatively well paid job or something else entirely.

I once interviewed someone who had gaps in his CV who said he was a gas fitter in Russia during that time (he was English). I didn’t believe him and he didn’t get the job. A while later I saw him on TV. He had been in the army and deserted - presumably during that missing period. Ironically we might have been sympathetic if he had told the truth. The position was for a driver/person Friday for the company owner so we couldn’t afford to hire liars.

I agree, her work experience doesn't add up with her age. Birth Cert puts her at 19. Something very fishy here.
Though she has done well to get through 2 interviews and be offered the job!

I just don't want someone who's a clear con artist in the company

Well, quite! I must say, those supporting her (act) are really stretching.

You really should watch Inventing Anna on Netflix. I expect she has...

@londonnotlangdon - if you do ask her back for what amounts to a further interview, I'd clear it with your own LM and HR first. And have at least one other interviewer there from HR.

You don't want to have her complain of bullying or unfair treatment and have just gone off on a jaunt of your own devising...

I was thinking the same! Sounds like a clever scammer!

Is your HR remote?
If not, I'd go and speak to someone face to face.
If it is remote, zoom meeting.

Be clear.
The issue is not whether you like her, or think she's capable, you have legitimate concerns that she has lied on her CV because the timeline is dodgy, that the reference email is false, and you are worried this could lead to the business suffering either through incompetence with a client or having to go through dismissal procedures if she's not capable. It also casts doubt on her integrity.

Be clear on what you want:
The reference followed up with the company directly, not through the details she's provided.
Clarification of the timeline with reference to her age, and the fact she should have been in education.

Leave it at their door to say it's fine, ask them to confirm it in writing.

Interviewee for college place handed me her references. One was handwritten and I noticed the address at the top was the same as the interviewee’s…. as was the surname. She told me the reference was from her mother and was very surprised when I told her ( kindly) that it wouldn’t count.

I mark people down slightly for putting DOB on their CV. Shows a lack of research/general knowledge.

@britneyisfree Thanks I didn’t know that.

I am old.

Did her past employers for references confirm her job title and employment dates?