How AI created a new generation of impostors and what to do about it
Why this has become relevant right now
Recently, a colleague sent me a link to the Instagram account of a guy who doesn’t work in tech at all – yet, with the help of AI prompts, he manages to pass technical interviews and land offers.
It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. It’s far from an isolated case. In the past few years, an entire ecosystem of “coaches” has emerged; people teaching others how to pose as experienced professionals and trick the hiring process.
One of the most publicised examples of this is Soham Parekh, who openly admitted in interviews that he relied heavily on ChatGPT to pass coding challenges and technical screenings for roles he wasn’t actually qualified for. The AI allowed him to present himself as far more competent than he really was and without it, he wouldn’t have made it past the first rounds. His story went viral, sparking debates on where preparation ends and deception begins.
At Toughbyte we developed internal guidelines for spotting such candidates years ago. Back then, it felt like an oddity. Today, however, the number and sophistication of impostors have grown so much that identifying them has become a real challenge.
Right now, each recruiter on our team interviews between two and five fake candidates every month.
Who is an “impostor” in recruitment?
In hiring, an impostor is a candidate who deliberately and systematically misrepresents themselves to get a job they don’t actually have the skills or experience for.
This can include:
- Claiming other people’s experience or projects as their own
- Using AI to pass live interviews
- Forging documents, profiles, or photographs
- Altering their appearance or voice on video calls
- Inventing workplaces and job titles
Their main goal is to appear like the perfect fit for the role, bypass filters and checks and reach the offer stage.
How the impostor profile has changed
In the past, fakes could often be spotted by poor English, gaps in their resume, or refusing to turn on their camera. Today, we see candidates who:
- Fabricate experience at large international companies, where it’s easy to “get lost” among thousands of employees
- Use AI tools that feed them answers in real time during interviews
- Alter their appearance or voice to seem like a different person
- Create fake LinkedIn profiles with AI-generated photos and convincing backstories
Some examples from our practice
Example 1: The “perfect” backend developers
Two candidates claimed experience at foreign BigTech companies with 5,000+ employees. Their resumes were spotless: consistent career progression, no job-hopping, top-tier technical university education. But when asked for specifics about actual tasks and internal processes, their answers were vague or hidden behind “NDA” excuses. We pushed further with basic teamwork-related questions and the inconsistencies quickly surfaced.
Example 2: Advanced disguise
A candidate with flawless English, a European-sounding name, and a convincing LinkedIn profile aced the interview without hesitation. We only became suspicious when he said he lived in Italy but couldn’t hold a basic conversation about local life.
Example 3: The AI whisperer
During an interview, the candidate gave fast, accurate answers to complex questions. But slight delays before responding – and illogical topic transitions – hinted at real-time AI assistance. Later, we found an online service that almost certainly matched the tool he was using.
Why is this happening
- AI development: tools like ChatGPT and custom interview bots make it easy to generate code, answers, and even hold live conversations
- Remote hiring: post-pandemic, many companies run their entire hiring process online, reducing control and verification
- Junior talent bottleneck: breaking into European or US markets as a junior is hard, so some take the “grey” route by claiming mid- or senior-level experience
- Deception coaches: a whole industry now trains people on how to pass interviews without the actual skills
Risks for companies
- Slower hiring: more verification steps mean longer time-to-hire
- Loss of real talent: strong candidates drop out for faster-moving competitors
- Direct losses: a fake hire can derail a project, cause penalties, or miss deadlines
- Reputation damage: even one bad hire can harm client trust and public perception
Red flags to watch for
From our experience, warning signs include:
- Geographic inconsistencies – claims to be in Europe, but time zone or phone number says otherwise.
- A “too perfect” resume – no gaps, every role neatly lasting 2+ years.
- Avoids turning on camera or uses a virtual avatar.
- Delayed responses to unexpected questions – possibly reading AI prompts.
- A newly created LinkedIn profile with minimal connections and overly generic content.
What to do about it
- Verification questions: ask about specific project details, tech stacks, team structures, and current location (“What’s the weather in your city right now?”, “What time is it in Berlin?”).
- Live tests: short, practical tasks during interviews quickly reveal true skill levels.
- Cross-checking: compare multiple sources (LinkedIn, GitHub, references, portfolio).
- AI limitations: in technical interviews, ask candidates to share their screen to see their work process.
- Reevaluate your screening process: many impostors know exactly how automated filters work and tailor their applications to pass them. Introduce dynamic, unpredictable elements into screening so AI-assisted candidates can’t simply prepare a “perfect” profile in advance.
Final thoughts
Fake candidates aren’t a temporary glitch – they’re the new normal for companies hiring remotely.
The sooner you adapt your hiring process, the better your chances of avoiding impostors and securing genuine talent before your competitors do. And if you’re not sure where to start, get in touch with us – we can help you design a hiring process that’s both faster and fraud-proof.