Fake Candidates and Deepfakes:
The Dark Side of Remote Hiring with AI

AI Red Flags

Remote work has been a game-changer for call centers and customer service teams. It’s opened up the talent pool, given people more flexibility, and helped companies grow without the overhead of a physical office.

But for every benefit, there’s been a new wrinkle, and lately, those wrinkles are looking more like red flags.

At Hiregy, we’ve started seeing something new. Something strange. And frankly, something a little spooky.

We’re talking about job candidates who are using artificial intelligence to fake their way through interviews. Not just fluffed-up resumes or recycled answers. We mean full-blown deception. Deepfake-style videos. AI-generated voices. AI generated candidates that can sit in for interviews. And in some cases, applicants who get the job, cash the paycheck, and never do a single bit of work.

We thought this kind of thing was a one-off. A weird story you hear on Reddit. But it’s becoming more common, and more costly.

This isn’t sci-fi. A cybersecurity report found that North Korean IT operatives have used deepfake interviews to breach Western companies. Creating a convincing fake candidate can take as little as 70 minutes using basic tools. Recruiters are catching on and they’re concerned. Gartner warns that by 2028, one in four job candidates could be fake.

It’s not just shady, it’s sophisticated. And it’s leaving hiring teams scrambling.

Why This Hurts More Than You Think

By the time a company realizes something’s wrong, they’ve already spent weeks interviewing, onboarding, and training. But the deeper cost is trust. When a hire doesn’t pan out, especially in a remote environment, it makes people question their entire process. It slows down future decisions. It stresses out already-overloaded teams. And in some cases, it directly affects customer experience and revenue.

Let’s say a sales rep fakes their way in. Every day that seat is filled with someone who can’t close, or doesn’t even try, is a day you’re missing out on revenue.

The same goes for customer support. A fake agent can damage relationships, escalate complaints, and cause churn without you even realizing it.

It’s like hiring a ghost, except the ghost still collects a paycheck.

How to Stay Ahead of It

This isn’t about being paranoid. It’s about being prepared. AI itself isn’t to blame, it’s just a tool. The problem is how that tool is used.

The solution is to tighten your hiring process:

• Require video cameras during interviews.
• Ask unplanned questions that bots can’t answer.
• Probe for real examples from their work.
• Look for inconsistencies in voice, tone, or eye contact.
• Don’t skip reference checks or practical assessments for remote hires.

And if you don’t have the bandwidth to do it all yourself? That’s where a partner like Hiregy helps. We don’t just hand you resumes. We vet candidates deeply. We hold real conversations, verify backgrounds, and test abilities before we recommend someone.

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