Jeremy Clarkson’s recent column made me laugh – as always – but one line stopped me cold. Reflecting on scams and deception, he claimed, “No one ever checks” when it comes to CVs. “Say you got a first from Oxford,” he suggests. “No one will check.” As someone who’s spent years at the front line of background screening and vetting, let me assure you: we do check – and it matters more than ever.
The truth is, that statement reflects a worryingly common misconception, and it’s one that risks undermining both trust and safety in our workplaces. Because, while Clarkson may be writing with tongue firmly in cheek, I’ve seen too many real-life consequences when background checks are skipped or done half-heartedly. And no, not everyone tells the truth on their CV.
Take finance and banking. These sectors are magnets for fraudsters, precisely because of the potential rewards. We are now seeing a surge in AI-generated fake references, doctored qualifications and even entire fabricated employment histories. Generative AI doesn’t just write poetry; it can forge a diploma that looks terrifyingly legitimate. But that’s where robust screening makes the difference. Going back to source is critical – to HR departments, payroll systems, HMRC records – to validate the information, where we can spot the inconsistencies that surface-level checks miss.
One case we encountered involved a seemingly glowing reference from a former line manager. Everything looked solid until we discovered the line manager and the candidate had been involved in coordinated misconduct. It was a cover-up. If we had stopped at face value, that individual would have walked straight into a senior role at a major organisation. That’s why we never rely on personal or character references – they can be entirely subjective, or worse, complicit.
But here’s the cultural challenge: many employers still don’t see screening as essential. As I often say, people spend more time checking a second-hand car than they do a potential employee. That mindset has to change. Background checks aren’t a bureaucratic hoop to jump through; they are one of the most important forms of due diligence a business can perform. They protect your brand, your team, your customers.
And it’s not about catching people out for the sake of it. It’s about integrity. In fact, when we do find anomalies in someone’s background, it’s not the detail itself that matters most – it’s how the candidate handles it. An honest explanation, a willingness to talk about it, to own it – that says far more about someone’s values than a clean but potentially fictional CV.
I also believe we’re at a turning point. For years, it’s felt like an employee’s market – employers hesitating to ask too much for fear of scaring talent away. But with economic shifts and greater risk from digital hiring and remote work, screening is regaining its rightful place. The smartest companies now treat it as standard, not exceptional. They explain the process up front, make it seamless, and integrate it into the culture of trust and safety.
So, no, Jeremy – it’s not true that “no one ever checks.” We do. And the more businesses that realise the value of getting it right, the fewer disasters we’ll see from relying on blind trust. CV fraud might still seem like a punchline in a column – but in the real world, it can cost jobs, reputations, even lives.
Let’s not wait for the next scandal to remind us why the truth on paper matters.
Authored by Susie Thomson, COO at Matrix Security Watchdog.
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