Attracting the best and the brightest employees is the goal of every startup and small business. Making these efforts more difficult, beyond the tight labor market in some industries, some employers are becoming the target of job scams — ones that seem unbelievable but occur include an unknown face showing up on the first day of work.

These scams occur because the candidate hired someone else to sit in for them during their video interview. Due to the remote nature of our work environment, some remote employees pay someone else to complete their job duties.

More sophisticated scammers can use deep-fake AI technology to mimic real people in interviews. Once the scammer is hired, they may steal data or install ransomware. AI technology continues to evolve, and so will scams. This is why it is crucial to know how to identify a scam and prepare to protect your business.

Watch for red flags

Fake-applicant scams, whether high- and low-tech, commonly target remote jobs. Most low-tech fake applicants are not trying to hack into your system. They are typically focused on making a good impression, even though they misrepresent their background and skills to get the job.

When recruiting, thorough background checks should identify scammers; however, you ideally want to identify the scam before it gets that far. The red flags to look for is a resume that is “perfect” for the job, exact verbiage of the job description, a LinkedIn profile with little information and error-filled emails. You do not want to assume the worst, but these tactics should be on your radar.

Know about deep-fake AI

Advanced technologies continue to improve making it harder to identify deep-fake AI candidates. Most people have seen footage of celebrities or politicians that seem real, but deep-fake technologies were used. There are many times the difference is imperceptible. This technology makes it even harder to tell the difference between a real or fake applicant. If you know what to look for, there are a few things to look out for, such as a candidate having a slight disconnect between their voice and their mouth movement. Syncing issues can happen to real people with poor Wi-Fi connections, but recruiters can address it with the candidate during the conversation, and it tends to correct itself.

Paying close attention to a candidate’s legal documents can help identify deep-fake AI candidates. When personal information does not align, you must determine if it was an honest mistake or something more sinister. When you require one in-person interview during the process, it helps verify the candidate’s identity. Real applicants will not have a problem with a face-to-face interview, where scammers will not agree to it and remove themselves from the process.

As deepfakes become more prevalent, there are new resources teaching people the difference between AI-generated images and reality like Northwestern University’s “Detect Fakes.”

Utilize background checks

Checking references and conducting background checks are an important step in finding the best candidate who fits your organization. These are crucial steps that should not be skipped. It is here where many business owners identify red flags that were not visible in prior interview stages. You become more prone to corrupt applicants when you do not look into a candidate’s work and education history.

Ask deeper interview questions

It is good practice to ask more open-ended questions during an interview but going beyond “yes” and “no” answers help spot scammers. Asking questions that require the candidate to tell a story about their experience helps you determine if the candidate is a real person. Employe the 80/20 rule – allowing the applicant to do 80 percent of the talking while the interviewer only speaks 20 percent of the time – is great interview technique for everyone, but crucial when trying to cull out a scammer.

With new technologies come new scams. There are many things business owners need to think about, and safeguarding your business from nefarious applicants should be high on the list when hiring. When you are aware of the red flags and scams, you are better prepared to not become a victim to their crimes.

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Jill Chapman is a director of early talent programs with Insperity, a leading provider of human resources and business performance solutions.