Nearly a tenth of Brits admit they’ve lied on their CV in the last 12 months​

The latest research conducted by Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, has revealed that 1 in 11 people in the UK have lied about their degree qualification on their CV over the last twelve months.

The research, which was carried out among 2,000 adults, also showed a slight increase in the number of respondents who knew someone that had lied on their CV – ten percent when compared to 8% just a year earlier.

Despite lying on a CV or supplying false information on a job application being considered fraud, 4 out of 25 of those surveyed didn’t think that it was illegal. Worryingly, nearly a third of these (31%) were aged between 16-24 years, indicating that school and university leavers may have been tempted to exaggerate their qualifications when applying for jobs.

When asked whether they would report a colleague who had lied on their CV, respondents were more likely to not report them (39%) than to report them (28%). Nearly a third (32%) were unsure.

Individuals that falsify information in a job application or on their CV face serious consequences, including the possibility of criminal prosecution as well as being recorded to the Cifas Internal Fraud Database which may make it difficult to secure employment.

Tracey Carpenter, Insider Threat Manager for Cifas, said: ‘However tempting it may be to exaggerate qualifications or experience to stand out from other candidates, job seekers need to know that this type of dishonest behaviour comes with enormous personal consequences. As well as potentially jeopardising any future career opportunities, they could also face prosecution and a prison sentence.

‘Dishonest individuals not only pose a risk to their employer but also to customers, other staff and shareholders, so organisations should look to better protect themselves by carrying out rigorous checks throughout the employee lifecycle to identify any potential fraud risks.’

Notes to editors

The survey was carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of Cifas with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults. The research outlined ten scenarios of an individual committing first-party fraud. For this scenario, respondents were asked as to whether they, or someone they know, has lied on a CV, whether they thought this was a reasonable thing to do, and whether they'd report a colleague they found out had lied on a CV.

Cifas Insider Threat Week takes place between March 6th-10th, and includes a week of free, exclusive webinars from fraud industry experts on a range of topics to help understand and identify the insider threat. Morning sessions are exclusive to Cifas members with afternoon sessions open to the wider fraud prevention community. More information is available here.

Cifas has produced a flyer for institutions to use to highlight the potential consequences of lying on a CV, targeted at those leaving formal education which can be downloaded here.

Contact us at press@cifas.org.uk