In June 2025 the US Justice Department announced that North Korean workers had obtained jobs at more than 100 American companies using stolen and fake identities. Investigators searched 29 suspected “laptop farms” in 16 states, where helpers kept company laptops running so that the workers appeared to be in the United States.
That scheme was run by a government. The tools it used are available to anyone.
What can now be fabricated
- A resume written to match the job posting exactly.
- A professional headshot of a person who does not exist.
- A voice or face altered during a video interview.
- A diploma, a license or a reference letter.
- A company history: a website, press releases and reviews created in a week.
A check that only compares documents with each other will pass all of them.
What still works
- Verify at the source. Call the university registrar, the licensing board and the former employer, using contact details you found yourself.
- Check the history, not the snapshot. A twenty-year career whose entire online trace began last year deserves questions.
- Meet the person. Use live, unscripted video at the least, and in-person meetings for positions of trust.
- Follow the logistics. Where is the equipment being shipped, where is the pay going, and do they match the stated location?
- Search the public record. Litigation, liens, bankruptcies, corporate filings and regulatory actions are much harder to fake than a profile.
- Check again later. Screening at the door misses what changes after it.
The same applies to deals
Investors face the same problem with founders, partners and counterparties: credentials, customers and track records that look complete and are partly invented. The remedy is the same. Confirm each important claim with someone who has no stake in the answer.
PMR Group International conducts due diligence and employee screening using public records, proprietary databases and direct verification. Contact us before you sign.
