Falsification of Qualifications | Education Fraud

Supposed Doctorates, Training, and Additional Qualifications

Although unfortunately there are no published, current, and reliable surveys or case figures on the feigning of school attendance and training, this topic is anything but rare. Especially in assignments involving suspicion of application fraud, Aaden Detective Agency Munich repeatedly encounters false statements regarding education: the alleged university attendance never took place, the supposed training at company X was never completed, and the high school diploma is partly or even completely forged. It does seem so simple: a three-year apprenticeship is invented in the résumé to conceal a period of unemployment and at the same time feign additional qualifications; diplomas and certificates of completion are copied from gullible or even willing friends, family members, online acquaintances, and so on, and altered on the computer with image editing software to show the applicant’s own name. Studying at the renowned University Y in the USA? Surely no one will check that. The certificate for a doctoral thesis passed with top marks – commissioned in an appropriate internet forum, of which there are indeed many, and apparently forged to look deceptively real.

 

When brazenness knows no bounds and takes the above forms, we are no longer talking about a childish prank, but about deliberate and punishable deception of hiring companies. After all, a company that employs unsuitable staff will sooner or later suffer financial damage and, if applicable, even personal injury claims (the latter, for example, in hospitals, construction companies, and so on). The application fraudster therefore commits not only forgery of documents (Section 267 of the German Criminal Code), but likewise fraud (Section 263 of the German Criminal Code). Many HR professionals may already be swallowing hard here and thinking back to one or another candidate who, despite an excellent résumé, delivered surprisingly poor work in the company; you may be wondering: Were we already taken in by a fraudster back then? If there is a justified suspicion, the deployment of our Munich private detectives will pay off, as we check and prove whether the university was actually attended or the training was in fact completed. In this way, you can remove education fraudsters from your company or, through preventive applicant screening by our investigators, protect yourself from an unqualified employee who would otherwise have caused financial losses and reputational damage. We are happy to accept your assignment at the following number: +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Comprehensive Consequences for Application Fraudsters – With a Questionable Limitation

In legal practice, lawmakers and courts do not see every act of application deception as brazen and immoral fraud. If false statements in an application only come to light after a longer period of employment and the employee has so far performed impeccably, some – though only a few – labor court judges see a customary right in favor of the offender. The offense of forgery of documents, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, would in such cases still remain criminally relevant, but if the employer is forced to continue employing the person, they will have only limited interest in criminal prosecution. The employing company is then compelled, in the interest of smooth operations despite the falsified résumé, to reach an agreement with the offender. But as stated: according to the experience of our detective agency in Munich, such judicial views are the absolute exception, and we only know of such cases from colleagues’ reports.

 

Therefore, every applicant is advised to be honest both in the written application and in the personal interview. Proof of education fraud ultimately leads not only to termination and possible damage claims, but also to criminal prosecution of the offense. In addition, if a detective agency is commissioned by the employer, the detective costs incurred must be borne by the offender as the cause of those costs.

“Oops, Just a Typo!” – Excuses Not Accepted

Anyone caught lying directly in a job interview can imagine that they will not be hired. Rigid HR managers will also report document forgery and other attempts at fraud immediately. And even if it only becomes apparent after the probationary period that, for example, the previous employment was actually just a two-month internship, the new hire cannot simply talk their way out of it: claiming that, how embarrassing, they typed too quickly and mistakenly stated that it was only an internship “does not protect against punishment.” After all, every applicant guarantees with their signature, the date, and the place on the résumé that all information is correct.

Court-Admissible Specialist Investigations

First of all, there are also ways for HR managers to check individual aspects of résumés for truthfulness, but laypersons can do no more than a superficial search, and the admissibility of any evidence obtained is limited due to the lack of objectivity – our private detective agency from Munich steps in when HR managers can no longer make progress or do not have the time resources to conduct preliminary research. Cover calls to and research regarding alleged previous employers clarify whether the applicant actually worked there, whether the stated position and time period are accurate, whether the employment reference presented was really issued in that form, or whether it may in fact be a favor based on personal or business connections. Did the training in the parents’ business really take place, or is it only being claimed and backed by the managing father? Perhaps he even used his connections to secure a recommendation through a cooperating company in order to get the lazy son an undeservedly high position in another company. Depending on the case, our economic investigators conduct surveillance and or research that can be used in court to prove whether the applicant actually completed training.

 

To protect yourself legally and, in the event that a contract has already been signed, to be able to issue an effective dismissal without notice, you should not rely on a second-rate detective agency. The quality of Aaden detectives in Munich is unparalleled in terms of legality, value for money, and professionalism. Evidence obtained through an unlawfully conducted background check cannot be used in court and therefore loses its value. That is why good advice and a careful review of the facts are the basis of every assignment – our detective agency values your satisfaction far more than meeting any internal sales targets.

Suspiciously Good Applicant? Contact a Detective Agency at the First Suspicion.

Do you suspect fraud behind an applicant’s seemingly flawless résumé? Is a newly hired employee delivering extraordinarily poor work relative to the qualifications they claimed? Then contact our economic detectives in Munich. You can reach us by email at info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de or by phone at +49 89 7007 4378-0.

Aaden Detectives Munich

Schellingstraße 109a

D-80798 München | Munich

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4378-0

Fax: +49 89 7007 4378-9

E-Mail: info@aaden-detektive-muenchen.de

Web: https://aaden-detektive-muenchen.de/en

 

CEO: Maya Grünschloß, PhD

Register Court: Amtsgericht Köln

Registration Number: HRB 83824