Blog 1 Archives - Background Check

Sterling Named HR Tech Award Winner for Third Consecutive Year

May 24, 2023

NEW YORK, N.Y. (MAY 24, 2023) — For the third year running, Sterling Check Corp. (NASDAQ: STER) (“Sterling”), a leading provider of identity and background services, is recognized at the top of the industry for its outstanding tools and technologies, used by employers to help hire, develop, and retain their people. Sterling is among an elite group of technology solutions announced as winners in today’s HR Tech livestream announcement – celebrated in front of the entire HR community.

Sterling stands out in the field, awarded two distinctions:

Best Comprehensive Solution: solution that solves the core challenges of businesses in the enterprise market. This is Sterling’s third year in a row receiving this recognition.
Talent Acquisition (sourcing, matching, candidate experience, assessments, onboarding, and other relevant technologies)

“In a world of talent scarcity, employers need to know that their hiring decisions won’t be delayed unnecessarily, potentially costing them a valuable candidate. Not only that, but our research shows that candidates want to know the status of their application on demand,” said Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer, Lighthouse Research & Advisory. “Sterling’s Candidate Hub puts power and transparency into the hands of every candidate, enabling them to see their progress at any time. This is what a modern background check should look like.”

The HR Tech Awards are powered by Lighthouse Research & Advisory, one of the HR technology industry’s most innovative research firms that provides peer-reviewed feedback and inputs on technologies purpose-built to serve employers and the workforce. The awards program is designed to help HR technology buyers and employers understand some of the best companies in the industry for their technology selection needs. A panel of judges includes independent practitioners, consultants and educators providing inputs on each submission.

“It is great to be acknowledged for our amazing candidate experience three years in a row. The candidate experience is a top priority for us and our clients, especially in this competitive hiring market,” said Lou Paglia, President and COO, Sterling. “We are proud that our platform and services provide a positive experience for candidates that enables our clients to hire and onboard quickly while maintaining a strong and safe workplace.”

To learn more about Sterling, visit sterlingrisq.com. Information about the awards program is available at HRTechAwards.org.

About Sterling

Sterling (NASDAQ: STER) — a leading provider of background and identity services — offers background and identity verification to help over 50,000 clients create people-first cultures built on a foundation of trust and safety. Sterling’s tech-enabled services help organizations across all industries establish great environments for their workers, partners, and customers. With operations around the world, Sterling conducted more than 110 million searches in the twelve months ending December 31, 2022. Visit us at www.sterlingrisq.com.

Contact

Jodi Perkins | Jodi.Perkins@havasformula.com

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.

Josh Bersin Reveals How Sterling Helps Liveops Streamline Hiring

May 18, 2023

Well into 2023, companies in every industry are still struggling to find ways to hire at scale. Many successful organizations have achieved their hiring targets by partnering with an experienced background check provider. Liveops, Inc, based in Scottsdale, Arizona and founded in 2000, is a truly modern contact center which strongly believes in improving people’s lives no matter where, when, or how they work. Sterling’s success story with our client Liveops is a powerful example of how we uniquely partner with each of our clients to implement and deliver a safe, trustworthy, and effective background screening program.

To illustrate the business benefits of a successful background screening program, we partnered with The Josh Bersin Company to tell the full story in Josh Bersin’s latest Case Study: Liveops Boosts Their Candidate Experience with Background Check Solution. Check out the study and learn how your business can tackle talent challenges while maintaining a safe work environment.

The Challenge and the Results

In 2021, Liveops faced several hiring and retention challenges:

Maintaining a talented, robust, and on-the-ready agent population.
Retaining candidates through the application process, part of which required them to purchase a background check.
Creating a positive candidate experience, including the background check process.
Managing the high volume of candidate questions about the existing background check platform.

After a quick implementation and onboarding with Sterling, Liveops was enabled to successfully address and resolve these business problems. The results speak for themselves:

If you’re struggling with your background screening program, learn actionable takeaways from Liveops’ experience overcoming their hiring obstacles.

About The Josh Bersin Company

In 2020, Josh Bersin put together a team of analysts and advisors who are now working with him to support and guide HR organizations from around the world under the umbrella of The Josh Bersin Company. Recently published research covers topics such as hybrid and deskless work, HR technology market trends, employee experience, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Josh is frequently featured in publications such as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, HR Executive, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and CLO Magazine. He is a prolific blogger and has more than 860,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.

Why is Identity Verification So Important in the APAC Region?

April 19, 2023

Recent data hacks in Australia have highlighted the importance of protecting our identities from fraudsters, and other criminals who, may wish to use the information for nefarious purposes.

This trend isn’t limited to Australia. A 2022 survey by Experian found that a quarter of consumers across the Asia Pacific region have fallen victim to online fraud, with consumers in China and India representing the highest proportion (29% of consumers in each market).

Considering the growing concern around data privacy and identity fraud, we wanted to examine how identity verification solutions can help protect customers and businesses.

What is Identity Verification?

Identity verification’s best practice involves a review and matching of a person’s identity documents against the person who has provided the documents. This helps us to determine that we are dealing with the right person and that the person is who they say they are.

Identity verification has historically been conducted via a face-to-face, or in-person interaction; however, innovative biometric technologies are now making it possible to conduct identity verification digitally.

Last year, Sterling partnered with global identity company Yoti, to launch an exclusive portable digital identity offering in 2023. In this collaboration, Sterling’s international customers will be able to leverage an exclusive digital identity verification workflow, allowing them to take an identity-first approach, where a candidate’s identity is verified before completing other background checks, and before actually being hired. Furthermore, candidates who verify their identity through Sterling and Yoti will be able to seamlessly create a secure, reusable digital identity. Individuals will then be able to use their digital identity for future job opportunities, age verification, and any process requiring identity verification.

How Can Identity Verification Help Employers Mitigate Risk?

Identity verification helps employers minimise identity deception in several ways:.

Identity verification helps to confirm the identity of prospective employees. This is vital as the employment of a new hire is a major investment for any business, and it is important to get the hiring decision right in the first instance and know exactly who’s joining your workforce.

With the level of identity fraud as high as it is in the Asia-Pacific region, businesses need to verify that prospective employees are not applying under fraudulent identities. This is particularly the case when hiring timeframes are being streamlined across industries, becoming shorter, and fraudulent candidates may easily slip through and cause damage to the business.

Incorporating identity verification solutions into the recruitment process enables businesses to mitigate workforce risk and helps ensure they’re hiring safely and building workplace trust.

Identity verification solutions that meet regulatory requirements. Some countries require identity verification before an employee begins work. In Singapore, for example, an employer must maintain employment records of employees covered by the Employment Act, which includes their NRIC (National Registration Identity Card) number or foreign identification number.

Failure to conduct due diligence on applicants can have serious legal repercussions, especially when dealing with other businesses or clients that could affect their data security or any confidential information that could result in reputational damage and also financial penalties by regulators.

Identity verification helps to ensures your candidate has provided accurate information, enabling documents used during background screening to be matched back to the candidate.
Occasionally, people change their names informally, such as hyphenating their last name after a marriage, or they might use a middle name as their first name. As a result, variations, flags, or hits may occur, which could delay or cause an issue. We understand that errors don’t always result from attempts to defraud you. Your candidate might just have made a genuine mistake,

Having the right identity verification solution in place may prompt your candidates to exercise greater care and diligence when providing information during the hiring process.

How Can Sterling Help?

Sterling are experts at delivering identity verification solutions and other background screening services to businesses throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

We have nuanced experience and knowledge of each of the markets in which we operate and can therefore offer tailored advice and services to suit your unique hiring needs.

If you’re interested in learning more or incorporating digital identity verification into your hiring program, contact us at info@sterlingrisq.com to discuss your needs.

What Do You Need for an Education Verification?

April 11, 2023

A CV is an important part of the job hunting process, as it’s how a potential new employer gets the first impression of skills, experiences, and qualifications. In today’s competitive employment market, job seekers are using a variety of CV types and styles to promote themselves, their education, and their past work to catch the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager. However, some may be tempted to exaggerate qualifications on a CV.

According to the Monster Future of Work: 2021 Outlook survey, 66% of hiring employers agreed that candidates exaggerate or even falsify skills and competencies listed on their CV. Applicants are searching for ways to compete with one another, and a common way is by padding, embellishing, or even fabricating their CV. How can employers know if the education, licences, and certifications listed on a CV are legitimate?

What are Certification and Education Verifications?

Education verifications are another aspect of the pre-employment background check. In our previous blog post , Employer Beware – Risks When Recruiting we shared the information on how businesses can protect themselves from fraudulent candidates, and how a background check help organisations get a better picture of their candidates and provide the insight needed to make an informed hiring decision.

As a part of pre-employment background checks, education verifications confirm the type of degree, honours received, and date of completion directly with the school registrar. Professional background screening companies maintain a database of legitimate educational institutions as well as known diploma mills in order to quickly identify them during a candidate’s education verification process. This moves the hiring process along more quickly and also provides certainty that the company conducting the verification is obeying all background screening regulations.

Via background screening providers, employers are able to verify professional licences and certifications to make sure that a candidate has the accreditation they claim to have. There are thousands of licences that can be verified, including, but not limited to, licensing and certification for medical doctors (MD or DO), registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), certified public accountant (CPA) and lawyers (JD), as well as for stockbrokers, teachers, engineers, pilots, and other exam-certified professionals.

What is a Diploma Mill?

One way some applicants try to pad their CV is by using illegitimate universities, or “diploma mills,” on their CVs. Diploma mills are organisations that claim to be an institution of higher education and grant invalid academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. These degrees may claim to give credit for relevant life experience, evaluate work history, and require submission of a thesis or dissertation for evaluation to give an appearance of authenticity. Most diploma mills have very convincing websites and will provide their “students” with official-looking degrees and transcripts.

While diploma mills can be found all over the world, the US has a very high number of occurrences, with the UK coming in a close second. Different country are accredited by different organisations and governing bodies. E.g in Singapore, the Ministry of Education (MOE).

If a college or tertiary education institute does not have the government accreditation, they could be considered a diploma mill. These types of colleges have excessive costs and usually do not offer any financial assistance to their students. A background screening provider like Sterling provides a robust database of accredited colleges and universities to simplify verification.

What Do Candidates Supply for an Education Verification?

The information required for an education verification will vary depending on a company’s needs. Some companies may require more detailed information about educational background and qualifications for their pre-employment background check, depending on the role they are hiring for. In addition to the information required for a criminal record check, such as full name, identification number, date of birth, any known aliases, current and previous addresses, and driver’s license number, candidates may also be asked to provide the following information for an education verification:

Name and address of last school attended
Name and address of high school or GED
Name and address of tertiary institutions/colleges/universities attended, dates, and degree name
List of certifications and licenses specific to a particular position
Diploma
Transcripts

It is important for candidates to be aware of the process and the information required for the background check. Candidates should read the consent form carefully before signing it. Providing the correct information at the time of consent will help to speed up the background check process.

What are Background Screening Regulations?

As a reminder, third-party background screening companies are regulated by federal, state, and local laws. One requirement is that an employer must inform the candidate that they will be conducting a background check. The notice should explain that the results of the background check will be used for hiring, promotion, or retention purposes.

After explaining the purpose of the background check, employers must obtain consent (either on paper or online) from a job candidate to conduct the background check and inform the candidate that the results will be used in making hiring decisions. While there are many regulations that third-party background screening companies must follow, the candidate or person being screened also has rights.

Background screening goes beyond just conducting an education verification or employment check. Understanding the information required for the background check will help to speed up the process and give candidates an advantage over others. If you have any further questions about the process, please speak to us today or request a brochure.

Sterling is not a law firm. This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.

Hong Kong Expands Declaration of Criminal Records to Additional Visa Schemes

April 5, 2023

In a recent update, the Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKID) has made it mandatory for applicants of the Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS) and other talent admission schemes to declare any past criminal convictions during their online application process. Relevant talent admission schemes including:

General Employment Policy
Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals
Technology Talent Admission Scheme
Immigration Arrangements for Non-Local Graduates
Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents

Additionally, those who have already submitted their applications are required to update their records with this information. It is important to note that applicants must provide accurate and complete information, as providing false information is considered a criminal offence that carries a severe penalty of up to HK$150,000 fine and 14 years imprisonment upon conviction.

This announcement underscores the HKID’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Hong Kong, and emphasizes the need for full disclosure from applicants seeking visas for entry into the city.

Sudden Policy Change on Criminal Checks

The lack of a criminal record check for Hong Kong visas came to light after controversial scientist He Jiankui had successfully applied through Hong Kong’s Top Talent Pass Scheme, which previously did not require criminal checks.

The Chinese biophysicist was jailed over gene-editing babies and was broadly condemned for having gone ahead with an ethically contentious and medically unjustified procedure paired with a lack of adequate consent from the families involved.

His visa was voided on suspicion of “false statements,” and criminal investigations were launched. Subsequently, the HKID proceeded to roll out requirements that applicants of several of the city’s talent admission schemes – including the general work visa, one that targets those in the tech industry, and the admission scheme for mainland Chinese professionals – to declare any prior criminal convictions.

What Exactly Are Criminal Checks?

Criminal Background Checks ensure that you know the most relevant information about a potential candidate’s ability to perform responsibly in a particular role by searching recognized police service records and/or court files to reveal disclosable court outcomes for offences.

A criminal background check involves a search of recognized police service records and/or court files against a person’s name/s and personal details in the given jurisdiction. This check reveals all disclosable court outcomes for offences, excluding spent convictions (spent conviction legislation allows the criminal records of certain offenders to be amended by removing specific offences after a period of time).

Each jurisdiction has its own processes for recording, storing, and expunging details of court conviction and criminal history information.

How Can Sterling RISQ help?

As the HKSAR government continues to adjust and review various visa policies and related procedures from time to time, continued adjustments will be made according to the situation. As an expert in the Asia-Pacific region, Sterling RISQ is attuned to these jurisdictional differences. We have significant experience in understanding the nuances of each system in the Asia-Pacific region.

Sterling RISQ offers background screening services in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, and has experience in tailoring screening packages for all roles and organization types. Protect your business from fraudulent candidates by getting in touch with Sterling RISQ today to discuss a background screening package suited for your organization.

Contact us today to discuss a background screening package suited for your organization and ensure that your hires are compliant and ready with the right set of screening frameworks.

Why Adverse Media Checks are Vital for the Hospitality Industry

March 28, 2023

One of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic was the hospitality industry. Hotels were largely empty, restaurants were limited to takeaway deliveries, and resorts were closed for months on end.

Now, as travel returns to most countries, businesses in the hospitality industry are finding themselves pushed to keep up with demand. The industry faces worker shortages due to a slow revival of immigration and businesses are keen to hire quickly to fill the gaps.

But as hospitality businesses rush to employ new workers, they must also remember to hire safely. One way to achieve this is by conducting thorough background screening on prospective employees, particularly adverse media checks.

What an adverse media check?

An adverse media check involves searching media archives to identify any information associated with a person. It enables companies to identify any controversial issues or legal proceedings of a person that have been reported in the media. The search is conducted using thousands of adverse key words relating to crime, terror, fraud and other illicit activities. All articles found are reviewed directly with the source to ensure the most accurate and up to date information is considered. By searching breaking news articles, results can include an early warning on pending criminal and civil cases.

This search uses the candidate’s current and previous names to sift through a database collated from more than 12,000 sources including the world’s major trade, business, and scholastic journals, local newspapers, regional business publications, national and international business newspapers, industry newsletters, corporate news releases and newswires worldwide, for any information pertaining to the candidate.

Why are adverse media checks useful in the hospitality industry?

1. Safety is key

Hospitality is all about creating a safe and secure environment for customers, and the creation of a safe environment starts by employing workers who can be trusted with ensuring the health and safety of guests.

Adverse media checks enable businesses to check whether there are any links between a prospective employee and criminal activities, such as violent behavior or physical or sexual assault, or any reported connections to organised crime. Businesses can then utilise this information to assess whether the worker would be suited for a role that requires a high level of trustworthiness and integrity.

2. The need to hire efficiently

Adding efficiencies to the recruitment process is crucial for busy hiring markets such as the hospitality industry.

Adverse media screening provides a quick overview of any major incidents linked to an individual, hence this type of screening is useful as an efficient first filter in the recruitment process. It can help ensure that unsuitable candidates are weeded out of the process as early as possible, saving the business significant time and resources.

3. High proportion of international workers

The hospitality industry boasts a high proportion of international workers compared to other industries, yet it can be more complex to conduct effective background screening on international workers due to a lack of reach and resources.

An adverse media check is beneficial in this situation as it utilises global media sources to search whether the candidate has been mentioned in media articles internationally. This enables businesses to gain insight into whether the candidate has had any past incidents in their native country or other countries in which they have lived and worked that would raise a red flag.

4. Hospitality workers often work independently in high-trust environments

Hospitality workers often work in high-trust environments, such as hotel rooms, bars, or with young children or elderly people. Due to their employment in such environments, it is imperative for businesses to help them hire authentic, trustworthy and reliable employees.

Many hospitality roles also require employees to carry out tasks independently without direct supervision. For example, small hospitality businesses where there isn’t always a manager on hand but there remains access to the cash till. These positions call for the hiring of employees that can be trusted to fulfil their role with integrity.

Adverse media check helps to identify any prior integrity issues and incidents for candidates, particularly in past employment roles that may have been omitted from their CV. This helps businesses feel confident to take the next step in making fully informed hiring decisions and recruiting workers who can be trusted to work independently and in high-trust environments.

How can Sterling help?

Conducting comprehensive background screening, including adverse media checks, helps to ensure that your business is hiring the right staff to maintain safety and security at your hospitality venue.

Sterling are experts in delivering adverse media check and other background screening services to the hospitality industry in the Asia-Pacific region and globally. We have specialist expertise and knowledge of each of the markets in which we operate, and can offer tailored services and guidance to suit the unique requirements of your business.

If you’re looking to hire safely and quickly for your hospitality business, contact us on info@sterlingriq.com to discuss your needs.

Increase in employee theft raises concerns for future hiring in the UK

March 22, 2023

With the Cost-of-Living crisis seemingly driving worker theft up, specialist background screening and identity services firm, Sterling, has warned businesses to be mindful of the cost of a bad hire.

This latest warning comes following reports from insurer Zurich UK, that employee theft had increased 19% in 2022 when compared to the year before. It’s become increasingly crucial to minimize the potential risk a new hire could pose to an organisation, especially as household budgets fall under further pressure during the Cost-of-Living crisis.

To compound this, employers are also facing a shortage of workers — with data published by BusinessLDN, FSB London, LCCI and CBI London revealing that two-thirds of employers are struggling to fill open vacancies. Sterling has warned of the compliance and financial dangers of rushing through the hiring process.

Steve Smith, President of International at Sterling explained:

“The cost of a wrong hire can be detrimental to a business on a number of levels. Aside from the wasted time and money invested , the risk posed to a firm is significant. During a period of continued skills shortages, there can be a tendency to focus on speed of hire, which has the potential to negatively impact robust and compliant staff screening.

“With the Cost-of-Living crisis hitting households across the UK, this latest data from Zurich does suggest that businesses are set to face more challenges both maintaining the compliance of the existing workforce and monitoring any potential red flags for new recruits.

“While this scenario is arguably being driven by a very unique economic climate, it does highlight why robust screening processes which look at more than an individual’s right to work, qualifications, or experience is a must. Social media screening, for example, can help to identify the level of risk of fraudulent or unscrupulous behaviour that an applicant poses to the brand. This is, however, fraught with a range of compliance challenges in itself as screening through these online platforms needs to be handled with due care.”

This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.

Off Limits: 3 Reasons Why Businesses Can Benefit from Outsourcing Social Media Screening

March 16, 2023

With the prevalence of social media spreading far and wide, many of us have become “digital natives” and feel comfortable navigating several social media platforms at once.

The ubiquity of social media has even spread to the workplace. In a 2020 survey from The Harris Poll, 70% believe employers should screen all applicants’ social media profiles, while the majority (67%) say they use social networking sites to research potential job candidates. For those using social networking to research candidates, more than half (55%) have found content that caused them not to hire the applicant.

However, using social media for recruitment purposes also comes with inherent risks and challenges that may not be apparent to your H.R. teams. Often, businesses can realize several benefits from outsourcing their social media screening to a background screening vendor. In this article we take a look at three of the most compelling reasons.

1. Compliance and Avoiding Bias

One of the major reasons companies outsource social media screening to third-party background screening services is due to the compliance requirements surrounding this hotly-debated practice.

Without a clear understanding of discrimination laws, H.R. teams can easily violate hiring regulations and risk be accused of discriminatory practices. This creates potential financial and reputational damage for a business. It may even result in the loss of future talent since discriminatory practices found in the recruitment process may lead top talent to look elsewhere for employment.

There is also the potential for unconscious bias to creep into social media screening. H.R. hiring teams inexperienced with the practice may mistakenly take factors like a candidate’s gender, ethnicity, disability, age, marital status, or sexual orientation into account when making their hiring decisions. Naturally, this biased decision-making is not conducive for resulting in the most suitable hire overall.

Using an experienced social media screening provider helps ensures that social media screening is conducted in a legally compliant and unbiased manner. Sterling RISQ uses an automated screening program that is FCRA, GDPR, and EEOC compliant, and abides by all applicable local, state, and federal regulations. he program ensures that social media screening is undertaken objectively by removing personal characteristics that could otherwise expose the hiring process to unconscious bias or discrimination.

2. Effective Background Screening Framework

Another important reason for outsourcing social media screening is to allow third-party providers to incorporate their expertise and use social media screening to uncover only the information that really matters in the hiring process.

Experienced background screening providers typically use automated programs to provide hiring teams with a complete picture of candidates. For instance, the program used by Sterling RISQ triple authenticates social media profiles by combining best-in-class artificial intelligence and trained investigators in a single, convenient workflow. H.R. teams are less able to match the technology and resources of a screening provider (after all, it’s not their main role) often, resulting in less effective and actionable insights.

Leveraging the expertise of a screening provider enables businesses to make better use of social media screening, along with gaining more accurate and reliable insights with which to make well-informed hiring decisions.

3. Efficiency in Hiring

In the same vein as effective background screening framework, experienced background screening providers will have the expertise to conduct social media screening faster and more cost-effectively than H.R. teams.

Background screening service providers have established infrastructure to conduct social media screening quickly and efficiently, with necessary procedures in place to ensure an optimal process. For example, Sterling RISQ’s automated program is a consent-based solution offering candidates the right to challenge results in the case of any adverse outcomes.

The program also cuts down the time taken for social media screening. For example, it takes mere seconds to add a candidate to the web portal. H.R. teams, or even trained investigators, can take hours to conduct the same screening, and might lose additional time looking at relatively unimportant candidate data, much of which ultimately cannot be used in recruitment decisions.

Whilst it may seem counter-intuitive that outsourcing screening to an external provider could be cheaper than using in-house resources, consider that HR specialists are not necessarily background screening specialists. By enlisting the help of external screening providers, in-house H.R. specialists are freed up to use their skills on other projects and initiatives where they can leverage their internal knowledge and expertise.

Social Media Screening with Sterling RISQ

Sterling RISQ are specialists at delivering social media screening and other background screening services to businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. We utilise automated technology to ensure our services are conducted quickly, effectively, and affordably.

We have nuanced experience and knowledge of each of the markets in which we operate and can therefore offer advice customized to your business, including which social media platforms to screen and the regulations around social media screening in your jurisdiction/s.

If you’re interested in learning more or incorporating social media screening into your recruitment process, contact us on info@sterlingrisq.com to discuss your needs.

Mandatory Education Verifications for Employment Pass Starting 1 Sep 2023

March 14, 2023

The Ministry of Manpower in Singapore has recently made an announce ment that is essential for all employers to take note of. Companies looking to hire foreigners on Employment Pass (EP) in Singapore must now ensure that all education qualifications are authentic. This mandatory verification is in place to safeguard against the submission of fraudulent education qualifications, which has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

Employers will need to submit third-party verification proof for applicants with diploma-level qualifications and above. The verification requirement will be enforced through the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), which takes effect in September for new applications. For EP renewal applications, the requirement comes into effect in September 2024.

EPs are generally given to professionals, managers, engineers, and technicians. Under COMPASS, an EP application will be awarded points based on four attributes and two bonus criteria. A minimum of 40 points is needed for the application to pass. The specialised roles in the areas of technology, healthcare, and sustainability are considered under the “Shortage Occupation List”, a bonus criteria which awards extra points.

Why Are Education Qualification Verifications So Important?

Fake qualifications, fake education certificates, and false employment pass declarations aren’t new. and recent cases include 23 foreigners who declared qualifications from Manav Bharti University in India, – where they could obtain a degree qualification from MBU by simply paying a certain sum of money without needing to attend classes. Two people were jailed for submitting false qualifications in their work pass applications, while 19 were permanently barred from working in Singapore.

Even professors of educational institutes have been called out for fake credentials, such as the case of Professor Chen Chunhua, a visiting professor at the NUS Business School and the Dean of Beijing International MBA Business School at Peking University. Chen was found to have provided details of a doctorate from a fake university in Ireland and claimed to be a “military adviser” for tech company Huawei. However, Huawei denied this and stated publicly that they had no knowledge of Chen.

It is important for employers to comply with all educational checks and verification processes mandated by MOM, and Sterling RISQ has been listed as one of the global verification agencies on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website.

Sterling RISQ offers background screening services in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, and has experience in tailorsing screening packages for all roles and organisation types. Protect your business from fraudulent candidates by getting in touch with Sterling RISQ today to discuss a background screening package suited for your organisation.

Employer Beware – Risks When Recruiting

March 7, 2023

HR teams are challenged every day with a variety of different tasks. In addition, they are regularly faced with new obstacles like time pressures, talent shortages, and even world-changing events like the pandemic.

However, one challenge that has persisted since the dawn of recruitment is that of identifying and weeding out fraudulent candidates from the hiring process.

In this article, we’ve collected the latest employment fraud cases from around the world, along with our recommendations about how you can help to protect your business from fraudulent candidates and financial risk.

Heisting Jobs at a Hospice

In 2004, Jon Andrewes fraudulently obtained a job as chief executive at a hospice in Somerset, United Kingdom, using false qualifications and experience in his job application. He also successfully applied to two other paid roles within the National Health Service (NHS) during his tenure, using the same false experience and qualifications.

Mr Andrewes’ employment and appointments ended in 2015, when the truth about his qualifications were finally discovered. He was charged with fraud and deception and sentenced to two years in prison. His full earnings over the period from 2004 to 2015 were calculated at £643,602.91. This represents a significant loss for the hospice and the NHS – not only financially but also in terms of the expertise that they could have hired in the roles instead of Mr Andrewes.

Employment fraud is particularly worrying in industries where there is a high level of vulnerability on the part of customers (or patients). It is strongly recommended that organisations in high-trust industries like healthcare implement a comprehensive background check program to verify that candidates have suitable integrity and background for a role in the industry.

Documents in Question

In India, a sobering investigation revealed that at least 250 people with fake certificates got jobs in various government departments, including the armed services petroleum department, railways and more, over the course of 38 years in Rajkot, India.

Alarmingly, the scam was flourishing since 1983, and that unqualified students getting jobs in government departments are not new. When it comes to hiring employees, there are ways that companies can increase their safety, security, and confidentiality.

This case shows the importance of conducting thorough background screening when hiring candidates. While background screening must be performed carefully and accurately, it is an important way to protect a businesses and institutions.

When conducting background checks on your candidates, we recommend leveraging the expertise and reach of a global background check provider like Sterling. Global providers will have the existing infrastructure and contacts in place to conduct screening in an efficient and accurate manner, enabling businesses to hire safely and efficiently.

Negligent Hiring In Dallas

An employee of a Dallas telecommunications company made a service call to an 83-year-old female customer but ended up killing the woman and stealing her credit cards. He was arrested, pled guilty to murder, and was later sentenced to life in prison.

Subsequently, the organization who hired the man was also found guilty of negligent hiring of an employee and unsafe practices and ordered to pay damages to the woman’s estate. This employer was found to have eliminated its employee background check program and did not conduct any background checks on the employee.

This case found that “employers can be held civilly responsible for their employee’s acts if the employer knew or should have known of the employee’s potential risk to cause harm, or if the risk to cause harm would have been discovered by a reasonable investigation of the employee’s background.” It sets a precedent that businesses need to take steps to make themselves aware of the background of employees and their potential risk to cause harm. It is no longer sufficient to rely on a candidate’s application alone; rather, thorough background checks must be conducted by businesses, who should also retain background check records.

How Can Businesses Help Protect Themselves from Fraudulent Candidates?

All these cases demonstrate how important it is for businesses to conduct due diligence during the recruitment process to help ensure that candidates are thoroughly background checked and screened prior to making an employment offer.

Employment lawyer Sue Gilchrist, from Pinsent Masons said, “Strong due diligence is needed in recruitment to avoid errors… particularly checks relating to regulated roles, and to ensure compliance with immigration checks which must be undertaken. Failures regarding the latter can result in criminal [and civil] penalties.

“Honesty is an integral and essential part of the employer-employee relationship. A breach of trust will often form grounds for dismissal.”

Sterling is the expert at delivering comprehensive background check services to businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. We have nuanced knowledge of each of the markets in which we operate and can offer tailored advice and services to your business.

If you’re looking to help safeguard your business from fraudulent candidates, contact us on info@sterlingrisq.com to discuss your needs.

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