How to prevent interview fraud

Interview fraud in remote hiring comes in three broad kinds:

• Tell candidates in the invitation that the interview is checked for outside help. Some will not try once they know.
• Ask for the camera on for the whole call, and say so in advance so no one is surprised.
• Check that the name, photo and profile match across the application, LinkedIn and the call.
• Send each candidate a private interview link, not one shared across a batch.

• Ask follow-up questions about the candidate’s own past work. No tool and no helper knows it.
• Ask the candidate to explain a choice they just made, in their own words, before moving on.
• For coding rounds, watch how the code is built, not only whether it works.
• Use a tool that flags assistance software, remote control and off-camera help, so the interviewer can focus on the candidate.

• Review any flags with the evidence before deciding. A flag is a reason to look, not proof.
• Where a flag is unclear, hold a short follow-up round rather than rejecting outright.
• Check identity documents at the offer stage, and confirm on day one that the person who starts is the person who interviewed.
• Run reference and employment checks for roles with access to systems or data.

The steps above cut fraud but rely on the interviewer noticing it. Interview fraud monitoring tools cover what a person cannot see on a call: software hidden from the screen share, someone controlling the computer from elsewhere, or help from off camera.

Polar flags those while the interview runs, on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or any other video call app, and gives your team an evidence report for every candidate. If you are comparing options, see choosing interview integrity software.

What are the best tools to prevent interview fraud?

It depends on the round. Identity verification services cover who the candidate is; proctoring covers tests; and live-interview integrity tools such as Polar cover assistance software, remote control and off-camera help during interviews on any video call app. Most teams need more than one.

Is it legal to monitor candidates during an interview?

In most places it is allowed with clear notice and consent, but the rules depend on where the candidate is, so take advice for the countries you hire in. Polar shows each candidate what is collected and records their consent before anything starts. Our compliance page covers India’s DPDP Act and GDPR.

Will monitoring put good candidates off?

Honest candidates are far more likely to accept it when it is explained up front, collects only what it needs and leaves the decision to a person.