By Jennifer Maffia, Owner of Advanced Recruiting Partners

Interview fraud is becoming a real and growing concern in today’s life sciences hiring landscape. Over the past few years, I have watched virtual interviewing reshape how companies evaluate talent, and with that shift has come an entirely new category of risks. When candidates are not sitting across from you in a conference room, it becomes much easier for them to present an edited version of themselves, or in some cases, someone else entirely. 

As the owner of a clinical research and biopharmaceutical staffing firm, I sit at a unique intersection of candidates, hiring managers, and industry associations. I hear the stories, track the patterns, and see both the subtle and the obvious warning signs. The truth is that interview fraud is no longer rare. It is simply evolving. And hiring teams need practical, realistic ways to adapt. 

What Interview Fraud Actually Looks Like Now 

Fraud is not always dramatic. It rarely looks like an obvious attempt to deceive. In many cases, it begins with small misrepresentations that snowball into bigger inaccuracies. A candidate lists skills they cannot actually execute. They embellish their involvement in complex studies. They describe hands on experience that turns out to be conceptual at best. And with virtual interviewing, identity misrepresentation has become easier than ever. 

Some candidates rely on off screen assistance or scripted responses. Others inflate technical credentials, claim involvement in publications that cannot be verified, or present lab experience that does not match their real background. These situations create real risk for companies that depend on precision, accuracy, and regulatory compliance. 

In scientific environments, fraudulent or exaggerated experience does not just lead to a bad hire. It can compromise data quality, disrupt project timelines, and create unnecessary strain on teams who must correct the downstream impact. 

Why We Are Seeing More of It 

The spike in interview fraud is rooted in the way hiring has changed. Virtual interviewing has made the process more accessible and more convenient, but it has also made it easier for candidates to control the environment around them. 

Competition in biopharma has intensified as well. Candidates know that technical roles often come with strong salaries and career progression. That pressure can push some individuals to present themselves as more experienced than they really are. 

We also cannot overlook the speed at which technology has grown. Tools that assist with writing, answering questions, or simulating expertise are everywhere. While these tools can be helpful in the right context, they also create opportunities for misuse during interviews. 

Most importantly, many internal hiring processes simply have not caught up. Teams are still using pre pandemic interview structures in a post pandemic hiring world, and that gap is where most fraud slips through. 

The Cost of Getting It Wrong 

I say this often because it is true. One wrong hire in a scientific environment costs far more than a line item in HR. You may see repeated errors in lab work, inconsistent data that cannot be reproduced, delays in projects that rely on accuracy and timing, and compliance concerns in regulated environments. Even high performing teams feel the strain when they must compensate for someone who is not able to contribute at the expected level. 

Beyond the operational impact, there is also the reputational one. When a team repeatedly encounters inaccurate work or unverifiable credentials, it erodes trust in the hiring process itself. Leaders start questioning whether the pipeline is reliable. Team members grow frustrated. And projects lose momentum as errors accumulate. 

This is why prevention matters. Not because fraud is the norm, but because the consequences are significant. 

How Hiring Teams Can Protect Themselves 

Hiring teams actually have more control over fraud prevention than many realize. With the right interview structure and the right partners, deceptive candidates become much easier to identify early in the process. 

Start by strengthening identity and credential verification. Even in a virtual environment, you can add simple steps such as pre interview ID checks, requesting documentation for certifications or degrees, or requiring a brief on site or live video meeting before extending a final offer. These steps add clarity and eliminate uncertainty around who you are actually speaking with. 

Next, consider redesigning interviews to test depth rather than memorized responses. Candidates who rely on scripts or outside assistance tend to struggle when asked to explain their work in their own words. Asking layered follow up questions, exploring real troubleshooting scenarios, or discussing actual studies rather than hypothetical concepts makes it very difficult to hide a lack of firsthand experience. 

Cross functional interviews are another powerful tool. When multiple team members participate, especially scientists or subject matter experts, inconsistencies become much easier to spot. A candidate may successfully answer one interviewer’s questions, but struggle when a different perspective pushes them outside of a rehearsed response pattern. 

Whenever possible, add a practical evaluation component. This does not need to be complex. Even a short technical exercise, case based scenario, or real world problem solving prompt can quickly reveal whether a candidate’s experience is genuine. 

Finally, partnering with a staffing firm that specializes in life sciences can dramatically reduce the risk of interview fraud. A team like ARP understands how scientific experience should look, sound, and hold up under scrutiny. Because we evaluate talent daily, we recognize subtle red flags, validate credentials early, and confirm that candidates have the technical depth needed in regulated environments long before they reach a hiring manager. 

With a few intentional changes, hiring teams can create a process that is clear, reliable, and resilient against the types of fraud that are becoming more common in today’s virtual hiring landscape. 

A Better Approach to Modern Hiring 

Interview fraud is not an unsolvable problem. It is simply a modern one. The more aware hiring teams become, the more proactive their systems are, and the more strategic their partnerships become, the easier it is to protect the integrity of their workforce. 

Life sciences companies rely on accuracy, reliability, and trust at every level. With a more structured approach to virtual hiring, and with support from staffing partners who understand the demands of scientific work, leaders can confidently move forward with candidates who are truly qualified. 

The future of hiring in biopharma depends on our ability to adapt. By staying alert to these evolving risks and updating processes accordingly, organizations can continue to build teams that meet the highest standards of quality and scientific integrity. 

About Jennifer Maffia 
With over 20 years of experience in clinical staffing, Jennifer Maffia connects pharmaceutical, biotech, and life sciences companies with top-tier clinical talent. She is known for building lasting client relationships, supporting tenured recruiters, and driving impactful hiring strategies. Through industry partnerships and active board involvement, Jennifer remains committed to advancing the life sciences field and improving patient outcomes.