The findings, released this morning by background check specialist DataFlow Group, reveal 3% of the professional verification applications processed by the group in the last five years have been found to be fraudulent. This is according to TrueProfile.io, which is part of the DataFlow Group, a global provider of specialised PSV solutions, background screening and immigration compliance services.

The group also found that the forgery rate among employment documents is responsible for most fraudulent cases.

The group warns the findings highlight the ongoing challenges that fraudulent academic and professional data and the commercialisation of fake qualifications pose to the reputation of employers and the safety and security of the general public.

In 2018, an investigation by the BBC’s File on 4 programme found that more than 3,000 fake qualifications were sold to UK-based buyers, including physicians and nurses, by a single company in 2013 and 2014.

In addition, research by YouGov published in 2017 revealed that one in 10 British people have lied on their CVs, with four in 10 CVs containing embellished information about education and qualifications.

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