Tighter checks for lies on résumés

It's no longer just fraud or embezzlement that Hong Kong firms want private eyes to investigate. Many are hiring them to check the accuracy of job applicants' résumés.

"There are an increasing number of inflated items on the CVs submitted by jobseekers," said Kelvin Ko, managing director of Verity Consulting, which offers commercial investigative and consulting services. "We have seen increasing demand by many Hong Kong companies for pre-employment checks."

Ko, a former Hong Kong police officer who set up his own firm, helps clients check the backgrounds of targets for mergers and acquisitions or to investigate suspected internal fraud.

"But there is a growing trend of companies wanting to consult our firm for ways to prevent fraud. This includes investigating the accuracy of the CVs submitted by job applicants," he told the South China Morning Post.

Ko said the companies found that in many cases candidates listed inaccurate qualifications or educational backgrounds on their résumés.

"In the most extreme case, one candidate claimed he had an EMBA degree from a well-known mainland university that he had earned via distance learning. But upon checking, we found out that the university does not offer an EMBA course or any distance learning degree," Ko said.