In the traditional hiring world, a CHRO’s primary mission was simple: find the best talent, attract them, and retain them. But according to Judy Hicks, Senior Vice President of Global People Operations at Mitek Systems, that foundational “hiring compact” has been fundamentally broken by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Hiring used to be about finding the best candidates,” Hicks noted during a recent interview on the HR Future Live podcast. “Now it’s about proving that candidate is real”.
As AI shifts from a productivity tool to a weapon for sophisticated fraud syndicates, CHROs must transition from talent scouts to trust architects.
The New Face of Talent Acquisition Fraud
For decades, recruitment fraud was manual and isolated, a “one-off” resume embellishment here or there. Today, it is syndicated, scalable, and increasingly automated through bots and deepfakes.
Hicks highlights several emerging “fraud vectors” that are currently overwhelming HR pipelines:
Synthetic Candidates: Entirely fabricated identities with AI-generated resumes, photos, and professional histories.
Deepfake Interviews: Bad actors using real-time AI filters or voice synthesis to impersonate a legitimate professional during video calls.
Laptop Farms: Fraudsters securing multiple remote roles simultaneously, often using a “front” candidate to pass the initial interview before handing off the work to low-skilled workers.
Identity Appropriation: Stealing the LinkedIn profile and credentials of a real person to gain access to a company’s IP, payroll, or sensitive data.
“It really has gone from manual to automated … It’s a business. Cartels are moving into identity fraud because no one gets shot behind a computer.” – Judy Hicks
The Seismic Shift: Identity Verification Before the Interview
The most profound change for CHROs is the timing of verification. Historically, companies performed background checks, education verification, and right-to-work audits after making an offer.
In an AI-driven world, this is too late. The sheer volume of “garbage” in the recruiting funnel, with LinkedIn reportedly removing 500,000 fraudulent profiles daily, means HR teams are wasting hundreds of hours on applicants who don’t exist.
The Solution: Moving identity proofing to the pre-interview stage.
Practical Tips for the Modern CHRO
To safeguard your organization and improve hiring efficiency, Hicks suggests several strategic moves:
1. Look for the “Pattern,” Not Just the Person
The human eye is no longer sufficient to catch a deepfake or a synthetic ID. HR leaders must look for digital signals:
IP Mismatches: Does the candidate’s physical location align with their claimed address?
New Digital Footprints: Is the email address brand new?
Overly Polished Responses: Does the candidate sound “too perfect” or show signs of using AI-assist during a live call?
2. Adopt Biometric “Liveness” Checks
Standard photo IDs are easily faked on the dark web. Incorporate biometric verification, where a candidate must turn their head or perform a specific movement—to ensure the face is authentic and “live”.
3. Leverage AI to Fight AI
If AI broke the hiring process, only AI can fix it. Utilize tools like LinkedIn’s “Talent Assistant” or internal software that stack-ranks candidates based on verified identity signals rather than just keyword matching.
4. Protect Your Intellectual Property
Recruitment fraud isn’t just an HR headache; it’s a massive security risk. A single fraudulent hire can grant bad actors access to your data, financial systems, and intellectual property. CHROs must partner closely with CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) to view the hiring pipeline as a primary security perimeter.
The Wisdom of “Eating Your Own Cooking”
At Mitek, a company dedicated to identity verification, Hicks’ team has started using their own identity solutions internally to vet candidates. This “virtual-first” approach allows them to hire globally while mitigating the risks of a remote workforce.
“We’ve gone from seeing a resume and assuming it’s legitimate to a place of verifying first,” Hicks says. For CHROs, this shift requires “stretching new muscles” and moving beyond traditional HR skills into the realm of technical trust and digital forensics.
Conclusion: Trust is the New Currency
The competition for talent remains fierce, but the competition for truth is the new frontline for HR. By implementing identity verification early, leveraging AI-driven fraud detection, and shifting the organizational mindset toward “Trust at Scale,” CHROs can protect their culture, their data, and their bottom line.
Is your talent acquisition team still relying on the “naked eye” to spot deepfakes? It might be time to rewire your playbook.
About the expert
Judy Hicks is the Senior Vice President of Global People Operations at Mitek Systems (NASDAQ: MITK), a global leader in digital identity verification and fraud prevention. Based in San Diego, California, Judy is a seasoned HR strategist with over 40 years of experience leading people operations across complex, global technology environments.
Throughout her career, Judy has specialized in navigating seismic shifts in the workplace, from the transition to remote work during the pandemic to the current challenges posed by AI-driven recruitment fraud. At Mitek, she leads the “Trust Revolution” in talent acquisition, pioneering the use of advanced identity verification technologies to safeguard the integrity of the hiring process. Judy is a recognized voice on the intersection of human resources, digital trust, and organizational security.
