The report shows since the recession staff are trying out fraudulent activities they would not have considered before. From July to December 2008 there were 59 court cases of this type of fraud in the UK, compared with 100 since January 2009.
CIFAS chief executive Peter Hurst, concludes: "While it remains true that most employees are completely trustworthy, these figures do show that the impact of the current recession has been severe. Desperate times do indeed lead to desperate measures, and businesses need to put in place all possible controls to ensure that they, their employees and customers are not subjected to fraud risks that can be avoided."
Martin Cheek, head of direct sales at Callcredit Direct, added: "Since the introduction of the Fraud Act 2006 it is now a criminal offence for anyone to make false representation for their own gain, including potential employees making untrue or misleading claims on their CV.
"Honest staff are absolutely vital to the success of a business and as a first step to minimising potential exposure to fraud, all employers should be actively screening CVs, a process that can easily be done online at minimal cost."
