Ask HN: Fake Job Candidates?

We're recently seeing a plague of fake job candidates.

We've seen:

* fake github accounts

* ...with stolen, bot generated content that looks like their contributions

* candidates who manage to not remember their own name/getting it wrong/joining zoom with wrong name

* we hear from colleagues guy who shows up on Monday for work doesn't look like the guy who was interviewed

* recently we dismissed developer after discovering he was working (also full time) at another company (we coordinated termination on both sides - I'm not even sure if it made him without work or just removed 2 out of N jobs)

How do you deal with this spam?

Are you using some services to filter this out?

Is ie. github interested in fighting those spam constellations of fake accounts?

How do you work with people without being an asshole to ensure they also play fair?

Very aggressive screening at the outset, with all the submissions in an easy to read list.

At my last job, we would ignore every single submission that didn't have a cover letter. If the cover letter has even the slightest red flag; for example if it doesn't mention anything specific about the company, then onto the next one. The next step would be an equally aggressive phone screen.

It's ruthless and you might miss out on some great candidates, but the time wasted by interviewing the wrong people is a killer.

yeah we had people join with different person interviewing for them. We now have a policy to take a screenshot of person's face during interview and compare them to person who joins. We've busted a bunch but a whole lot have slipped through the cracks.

Companies save your image without your permission and then companies are simply baffled why people don’t want to be in video calls!

I know someone who's getting a 20% cut for any US-only remote jobs he secures for an offshore team of developers who otherwise can't get such jobs.

All he does is interview and get gigs for these people he doesn't even know, they do all the work.

Probably something you're experiencing the other side of?

AIUI they found him on LinkedIn just based on his skills overlapping theirs while being in the US, no prior connection - it's likely they didn't stop at him. From his POV it's nearly free money while getting tons of interview practice.