HR realizes job candidate catfished her after he turns up with a foreign accent and amnesia

Recruiting is a tedious job every HR professional loathes, since filtering out candidates and managing interviews can be challenging when candidates try to outsmart them. When one recruiter interviewed a candidate they presumed genuine, they later found out he was catfishing them after he turned up with a South Asian accent and forgot he'd ever met the HR interviewer. Sharing the bizarre account on November 13, u/ItsAllSoClear's post has left online users with mixed reactions.

u/ItsAllSoClear works as a software engineer in a public sector organization. Due to COVID, the entire organization chose to go remote and never went back to in-person recruitment, as it saved them money. However, their recent experience has led them to propose that HR go back to in-person interviews and blacklist certain agencies. First, they interviewed a candidate who appeared charismatic and knowledgeable, but the person who actually showed up for the job could barely code. The difference was so stark that the team suspected a 'catfish' situation, though they could never confirm it. The individual refused to be on camera, which added to their suspicion.

The second candidate wrote "immaculate code" and aced the interview. However, the person who showed up for work was not the same. "The guy that showed up was located a few states away. He finally started after weeks of delaying his start date due to an accident involving his kids and then the death of both grandparents. That's also why he had to move. Also, he developed a South Asian accent and forgot he met me," the author added. To confirm their suspicion, the recruiter asked the candidate about a memorable topic that was discussed during the interview. However, their WiFi conveniently went out right then, which further cemented their doubts that they had been catfished, yet again.

After countless scams, the team has now begun to document and collect screenshots as evidence. They have also started to consider in-person interviews, even if it limits their recruiting pool. According to a 2025 survey by StudyFinds, 72% of recruiters reportedly encounter fake resumes, portfolios, or credentials using AI, while 15% said they had witnessed face-swapping or voice-cloning deepfakes during video interviews. Soon after the post went viral, many online users shared their mixed reactions to the author's concern.

u/CommanderGO wrote, "Are you telling me that I've potentially been losing out on job offers because of scammers?" u/SignificantCrow-974 commented, "Sorry to say it, but I think that unpleasant games are being played on both sides. Recruiting and recruitee. This is just mad, isn't it, though someone else attends an interview. Apparently, this is happening with online exams too." u/keymaker12 shared, "I'm more concerned about your interviewing practice. Candidates can refuse to be on the camera?? And you still interview them where you are on camera? What about background checks and references? You must have called their references to make sure they can code + team player, etc? Do you check their LinkedIn, and does it have a profile pic? I mean, these are basic things to do before you hire someone. I'm not sure what you are describing is that common… where someone interviews off camera and someone else shows up. This isn't like taking the SATs for someone else in high school back in the '90s."

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