Global Hiring Risks: What You Need To Know About Identity Fraud And Screening Trends
Help Net Security, September 18,2025
Hiring new employees has always carried some risk, but that risk is growing in new ways, and identity fraud is becoming more common in the hiring process. HireRight's 2025 Global Benchmark Report takes a close look at how organizations around the world are handling background screening. The findings come from more than 1,100 HR and risk management professionals across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
Identity checks are lagging behind fraud
Despite growing awareness of fraud, only three in five companies globally conduct identity checks as part of their pre-employment screening programs. This is concerning given that one in six businesses reported a confirmed case of identity fraud during the hiring process, and nearly a third were unsure if fraud had occurred at all.
Most companies that verify candidate identities use third-party providers. A smaller group still relies on in-house checks, with varying levels of staff training. North American companies are more likely to provide one-time training for in-house verifications, while businesses in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC) tend to provide periodic or annual training.