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?

*13, I mean!

@MrsClatterbuck just says 8 GCSE's A* - C.

Doesn't mention anything else and to be honest we didn't focus much on that at interview

Are you allowed to contact the references and get more info? Or speak with her about this? You can't hire her without more information, especially not for a £40k pa job. That would be madness.

Her past role sounds lofty but let's face it, it could've been her mum's small company where she was given a lofty title to do little more than answer the phone part time in a home office for a while. Whatever the situation you need to alter HR to the fact that more investigation is needed.

Oh and on the sentence I’m just the line manager you will be legally culpable if you employ someone who doesn’t have the right to work, so if you have doubts it’s fine to follow up on email after speaking to HR.

Now yabvvu.

What does looks British mean?!

Surely it all comes down to the integrity of the employee. If the CV is made up of lies and she cannot come up with a reasonable explanation then you will withdraw the offer.

HR have a responsibility to complete their due diligence in this case.

i wouldn’t be hiring her. She can’t even be trustworthy

@HikingforScenery Just her look. Again it could all be false but given how she speaks (well spoken English), white, the type of mannerisms I'd expect from a professional woman... well it just points to being British and I think it's silly to say it isn't a good indicator...

Faking not only the grammar and accent of someone born here, but also being able to fake an entire persona and mannerisms if she isn't even eligible to work in the UK? Seems very very far fetched

I don't think it's completely unlikely. I was an Estate Agent at 15, by 16 I was assistant to the MD, then I also had a weekend job as a Events Manager. Went off to uni where I started as a factory assistant ended up getting promoted to Social Media and Coding Manager by age 20.

Although if you have no photographic ID of her, may be worth checking that. And maybe double check the references?

You need to be clear with what you want HR to do.

I do have photo ID. Looks like her. And same birth date as her birth certificate. She sent copy of utility bill

It all seems to be her

I don't think it's her using someone else's birth certificate surely? She sounds very British, looks British.

Modern slavery gangs don’t target non-British nationals exclusively. She could be using someone else’s document for all sorts of reasons. We had someone who posed as a different identity, they were trying to hide the income from creditors so borrowed a friend’s ID.

@HikingforScenery I don't think it was intended as a racist or Daily Fail type comment, more that the person just has that multitude of subtle and overt inflections, nuances, mannerisms, references, etc, that makes clear they are from a certain country. I could tell all my friends are British for example in a heartbeat regardless of how different we look outwardly - and we are a very ethnically diverse group.

@Rainbowshine I see. Thank you, I didn't think of that scenario

Exactly this. My own family abroad aren't British born and they tell me I'm a Brit just by the way I stand and say a simple thank you or excuse me!

And I'm not white

Has she been paid to pass the interviews for someone?

Can you pass it back to HR? Ask them to confirm they are happy her ID and date of birth are in order and match up with the CV

If she really has faked the ID I'd be worried to take her on, not because of the fraud so much as the stupidity to not get the date right

If she was born in September 2002 she would have been in education until 2020.

Did they give you the original ID documents and you copied them or did they provide copies? If you’re giving the ID to HR as being in order you must see the originals.

Do you ask for photo ID - passport, driving licence? Then at least you can see if the photo matches the person that you interviewed. If it does, you have legitimate reason to question her CV as containing jobs while she was at school. Although it's bad form after making an offer, my organisation has a habit of withdrawing offers due to reorganisations ....

You could snoop for her on Linked-In? And I'd like to know about these admin jobs that pay £40k for just 8 GCSEs, as I've got 4 A-levels on top of that and have max'd out at £30k for admin roles here ...

I think this is the best option but I have a strong feeling they're going to say not hiring her because of her date of birth not matching CV timeline might be seen as age discrimination... a protected characteristic

Presumably if it’s a “£40k” job she was interviewed when her age and experience would have been obvious.
Why is HR is not responding to your concerns, is someone connected to this candidate, an explanation is needed.

She was probably doing the filing at mummy or daddy's office and has massively over exaggerated. Can't HR ask her?

Or ask to do another interview and ask how she managed to juggle school with her demanding job? Just be really careful not to stray into age discrimination.