# What to Do When an Employee Lied on Their Resume

> Learn how to evaluate the impact, handle the legal fallout, and decide whether to fire or forgive.

- **Author:** Robin Keyen
- **Category:** tmgXwfBTmoDvzx4s5EcX
- **Published:** 2026-04-01
- **Language:** en

## The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have
You're three months in with a new hire. Something feels off. The skills aren't there. The experience doesn't add up. Then a background check comes back with a flag — or a colleague mentions something that doesn't match the CV — and suddenly you're staring at a problem nobody trained you for.
What do you do? Can you fire them? Should you? Are you legally exposed if you don't act? What if the lie is small?
This happens more than most people admit. And the number of employers dealing with it is growing — fast.
## How Common Is This? The Numbers Are Worse Than You Think
Most hiring managers assume resume fraud is something that happens to other companies, or that their screening process would catch it. Neither is reliably true.
 ⚠️ Warning: The question isn't really "will we ever encounter a candidate who lied?" It's "have we already hired one, and don't know it yet?" For most organisations of any size, the honest answer is probably yes.
## What People Actually Lie About
Not all lies are equal. Understanding what gets fabricated helps you know where to look.
The most common targets:
- Employment dates — gaps get hidden, short tenures get extended

- Job titles — "assistant manager" becomes "manager," "analyst" becomes "senior analyst"

- Responsibilities — solo contributions get inflated into team leadership

- Salaries — inflated to anchor a higher offer

- Education — degrees claimed that were never completed, or universities attended briefly turned into full qualifications

- Skills and certifications — software proficiency overstated, certifications listed that were either expired or never held


The deeper issue: lies about skills and qualifications don't just affect the hiring decision. They affect every task that person is assigned, every client they work with, and every team member who relies on them.
 💡 Quick tip: The most dangerous lies aren't the obviously inflated ones. They're the ones that go undetected for years — a certification nobody thought to verify, a degree that never gets checked because the person performed well enough in interviews to seem credible.
## The New Threat: AI Is Making This Dramatically Worse
Resume fraud isn't just more common than people think. It's getting more sophisticated faster than most hiring processes have adapted.
AI tools have changed what fraud looks like. Where a candidate once had to manually fabricate a CV and hope nobody checked, they can now:
- Generate a polished, coherent resume filled with plausible-sounding experience using AI writing tools

- Create a fake LinkedIn profile complete with an AI-generated headshot that looks completely real

- In the most extreme cases — run deepfake video in a remote interview, presenting a different face entirely


The North Korea angle is not hypothetical. CBS News and US federal agencies have confirmed that state-sponsored operatives from North Korea successfully infiltrated over 300 US companies using fake AI-constructed identities to get remote IT roles. They weren't rogue candidates hoping to get lucky. It was an organised, funded operation.
 ⚠️ Warning: If your hiring process relies entirely on a CV, a video interview, and a reference check, you are operating without adequate protection against current fraud methods. This isn't alarmism — it's where the evidence points.
## How You Usually Find Out
The timing of discovery matters significantly — both practically and legally.
Before they start: A background check service flags a discrepancy. A reference doesn't corroborate what was stated. An employment verification check finds different dates or a job title that doesn't match.
During onboarding: The skills they claimed aren't visible in practice. They need guidance on things they should know cold. Training reveals gaps that shouldn't exist.
Months or years later: A colleague who worked at the same previous company mentions something that contradicts the CV. A promotion process triggers a deeper check. A client interaction exposes a lack of knowledge the hire should have had.
Accidentally: The hire themselves lets something slip. HR cross-references data during a system audit. A LinkedIn profile update doesn't match their stated history.
Each timing scenario creates a different problem. Finding it before day one is straightforward. Finding it two years in — when the person has relationships, institutional knowledge, and possibly management responsibility — is genuinely complicated.
## What to Do When You Discover a Lie
### Step 1: Stop. Don't react immediately.
The worst thing you can do is make a snap decision under the shock of discovery. Before anything else: gather what you know, verify it independently, and bring in HR and legal counsel if the situation warrants it.
 ✅ Best practice: Before confronting anyone, document exactly what was claimed vs. what the facts show. This isn't about building a legal case — it's about making sure you actually have a verified discrepancy and not a miscommunication.
### Step 2: Assess what was lied about
Not all lies have the same consequences. Ask:
- Does the lie relate to a licence or certification required by law for this role? (Healthcare, finance, legal, engineering — this is immediate and serious.)

- Does it relate to a core competency the role requires?

- Is it a credential that was a formal hiring requirement?

- Or is it peripheral information — a date, a title — that didn't materially affect the decision?


The severity of the response should scale with the severity and relevance of the lie.
 💡 Quick tip: A gap hidden in employment dates is not the same as a medical license claimed but never held. The first might warrant a serious conversation. The second may leave you no choice but to act immediately — and potentially to report it.
### Step 3: If a background check is what surfaced this
Background check providers operate under the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) in the US and equivalent frameworks in Europe. Even if you've already hired someone, if new information comes from a consumer reporting agency, specific rules apply.
You generally must:
- Give the person a copy of the report

- Inform them they have the right to dispute it

- Allow a reasonable period before taking action


Failing to follow this process — even when the person clearly lied — can expose your company to a separate legal claim. This is where HR and legal input is not optional.
 ⚠️ Warning: Skipping the adverse action process because you're angry or certain about what happened is one of the most common and expensive mistakes employers make. The process exists to protect both sides. Follow it.
### Step 4: Have the conversation
If the facts are verified and the situation warrants it, a direct conversation is necessary. Keep it factual, not emotional.
Structure it simply:
- Here is what you stated on your application.

- Here is what we have verified.

- We'd like to hear your response.


Then listen. There are occasional explanations — a title that was informally used in a previous role but wasn't their formal title, a completion date on a degree that was one semester off. These are worth distinguishing from deliberate fraud.
 ✅ Best practice: Have HR present. Take notes. Make clear this is a formal meeting. If the outcome is dismissal, do it at the same meeting — don't leave the person in limbo after having been confronted.
### Step 5: Make and document your decision
If you dismiss: document that the dismissal is for misrepresentation on the application, not for performance. This matters legally. In most jurisdictions, lying on a resume is legitimate grounds for termination — including in jurisdictions with strong employee protections like Belgium — because the employment contract was entered into under false pretences.
If you choose to retain: document why, what the lie was, and what expectations have been reset. Retaining someone after a known dishonesty creates a record that can complicate future dismissals if their performance later becomes an issue.
## Can You Legally Fire Someone for Lying on Their Resume?
In short: yes, in most cases. But how you do it matters.
The "after-acquired evidence" doctrine (US) means that even if a dismissal is challenged, evidence of resume fraud discovered after hiring can limit the employee's ability to claim damages — even if other aspects of the dismissal are disputed.
In Belgium and across the EU: Misrepresentation on a hiring application is considered a breach of good faith in the employment relationship, which is a legitimate ground for dismissal. However, procedural requirements (formal notification, notice periods or payment in lieu, documentation) still apply. An employment lawyer should be consulted before acting, particularly for senior or long-tenured employees.
What you cannot do in most jurisdictions: dismiss someone solely because a background check flagged a protected characteristic, without a process, or in a way that creates grounds for discrimination claims.
 ✅ Best practice: The strongest dismissal is the one with the cleanest paper trail: the original application signed by the candidate, the specific claim that was false, the verification evidence, and the formal dismissal process correctly followed. Get legal sign-off before the conversation happens.
## When It Happens to Big Names
Resume fraud isn't something that only catches out entry-level candidates trying to get a foot in the door. Some of the most public cases involve senior leaders.
Scott Thompson, Yahoo CEO (2012): Claimed a computer science degree he didn't have. Resigned after 130 days in the role when an activist shareholder discovered the discrepancy. Yahoo's stock dropped. The board faced scrutiny for its vetting process.
George O'Leary, Notre Dame Head Football Coach (2001): Resigned after just five days when it emerged he had falsely claimed a master's degree and fabricated details of his own playing career. He had held the lie for two decades without detection.
Marilee Jones, MIT Dean of Admissions (2007): Resigned after 28 years at MIT — during which she had become nationally recognised for her work — when it emerged she had never completed the degrees she listed when she was first hired.
David Edmondson, RadioShack CEO (2006): Claimed two theology degrees from a college that didn't offer the programmes he cited. Resigned within weeks of the story breaking.
The consistent thread: the lie wasn't the only problem. In each case, the discovery — and the response to it — caused as much damage as the original deception.
 💡 Quick tip: These cases also show that performance doesn't neutralise fraud. Marilee Jones was widely respected and genuinely excellent at her job. None of that changed the outcome once the fabrication was known.
## How to Catch It Before They Start
Prevention is significantly cheaper than remediation.
Structured background checks: Use a verified third-party provider for every hire above a certain seniority. Education verification and employment history verification are not the same thing — use both where relevant.
Targeted reference checks: Don't treat reference calls as a formality. Ask specific questions about the role the candidate has described, the responsibilities they've claimed, and the team they say they led. Gaps and hedged answers are data.
Skills-based assessments: The most effective fraud prevention for technical roles isn't checking credentials — it's testing actual competence. A work sample removes the risk of credential inflation because you're not assessing what someone claims to know; you're observing what they can do.
Consistent application documentation: Require candidates to sign a declaration of accuracy on their application. This matters legally if fraud is discovered later.
Cross-reference the details: Dates, titles, and company names should be checked against LinkedIn profiles, company registries, and employment verification services. Most candidates who lie don't expect anyone to actually look. Platforms like Joobs increasingly surface employer-verified signals alongside candidate profiles — a quiet but meaningful shift in how candidate credibility is established before a conversation even starts.
 ⚠️ Warning: The AI-fraud risk changes the threat model for remote hiring in particular. If your screening relies entirely on what a candidate presents in a video call, you are now operating in a context where that call can be artificially constructed. Liveness checks, structured technical assessments conducted live, and multi-step verification matter more than they did two years ago.
## Frequently Asked Questions
We found a lie but the person is genuinely good at the job. Do we have to act? Not always immediately — but you should document it and make a considered decision, not pretend it didn't happen. Retaining someone with a known lie on file creates risk. If performance issues arise later, the documented dishonesty will complicate your position. At minimum, have a formal conversation and reset expectations clearly.
What if the lie was discovered years after hiring? You still have options in most jurisdictions. The passage of time doesn't automatically validate the fraud. However, the longer the employment has continued, the more carefully any action needs to be structured. Legal advice is essential here.
Does the candidate have any recourse if we rescind an offer after a background check? In most jurisdictions, if you follow the correct adverse action process and the discrepancy is real, the answer is no. However, failing to follow the process correctly opens the door to claims regardless of what the candidate did.
Is exaggerating a title the same as lying about a degree? No — in terms of both severity and legal exposure. A degree fabrication, a professional licence not held, or a certification that doesn't exist are more serious because they may be mandatory requirements. A slightly inflated title is harder to act on and less likely to sustain a dismissal alone.
What about lies discovered during a promotion or internal move? Treat it the same way as an external discovery: verify, assess the severity, have the conversation, and document the decision. If the lie relates to a qualification now needed for the new role, that's a clear basis for action.
Should we report resume fraud to anyone? In most cases, no legal obligation to report exists. However, if a professional licence was falsely claimed in a regulated industry (healthcare, finance, legal, engineering), there may be a reporting obligation to the relevant body. Check with legal counsel.

---
*Source: [Joobs.be](https://joobs.be/en/blog/what-to-do-when-an-employee-lied-on-their-resume)*