A small U.S. business was hiring for a remote administrative position. One of the candidates seemed perfect — quick responses, polite tone, and impressive claimed experience. The candidate emphasized that they were able to start immediately and even offered to accept a slightly lower salary “to make things easier,” which made the client more comfortable moving forward.
Before signing the contract, however, the candidate pushed for faster onboarding and asked the client to purchase work equipment in advance, promising that reimbursement would come “as soon as payroll is set up.” The urgency and the sudden shift in tone made the client hesitant, so they contacted us.
The client asked us to verify whether the candidate’s background was real and whether there were any red flags that could affect employment or payments.
We examined publicly available information, including employment claims, digital footprint, corporate affiliations, social media activity, and litigation records. No intrusive or unlawful methods were used.
Here is what we were able to establish:
• several companies the candidate claimed to have worked for did not appear in corporate records
• job titles and dates did not match across platforms
• there was no digital footprint for the claimed professional career
• previous civil filings indicated financial disputes related to work equipment and reimbursements
Nothing indicated a legitimate employment history consistent with the story. Instead, the pattern suggested a potential attempt to gain trust, create urgency, and shift financial responsibility to the employer before any real work occurred.
As a result, the client chose not to proceed with the hire and avoided entering a situation that could have resulted in financial loss and operational complications.
Personal details have been removed to protect privacy.