In this issue:

👀 Would you hire a puppet?

Because that’s what’s happening—metaphorically (and sometimes literally) on your screen.

By 2028, up to 25% of job applications could be deepfakes. Right now, recruiters are already asking candidates to wave their hands in front of their faces—like a cyberpunk parlor trick—to prove they’re not an AI ghost.

This isn’t résumé padding. This is high-stakes fraud. Fake résumés. Fake video interviews. Fake people. And it’s already costing companies billions.

But here’s the kicker: not everyone using AI to polish their applications is a scammer. Which means recruiters are caught in a paranoid arms race where the line between “prepared” and “pretender” is razor-thin.

👉 I dug into the numbers, the scams, and the surreal tactics companies are using to separate human from hologram.

And trust me—you’ll never look at a video interview the same way again.

Psst…

There’s tech out there right now building talent pools in the dark—networks that look empty from the outside but are alive with diverse, hidden candidates inside. No one talks about it publicly, but it’s reshaping sourcing strategy.

👉 If you want the inside track, message me directly.

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The HR Blotter: Case Files From the HR Underworld

Where do robots work? - Most of the money in industrial robots flows straight into electronics and auto plants, where precision and speed can’t slip. Other sectors trail far behind. For workers, it’s proof that machines are claiming the toughest, most unforgiving tasks first, while the jobs still safe are the ones too messy or human to code.

Applicants or Actors? - AI assessments don’t just judge candidates, they reshape how they act. Faced with algorithms scanning every pause and gesture, applicants start performing for the machine instead of revealing themselves. For employers, that means they may not be hiring the best person, only the best actor in a game the software set up.

Crack is whack! - Employees aren’t just disengaging anymore, they’re breaking under pressure in silence. “Quiet cracking” shows up as exhaustion, irritability, and mistakes that managers often misread until it’s too late. For companies, it’s a warning that the human engine of productivity can only run so long before it burns out.

Honey, I Shrunk the Office - America’s largest employers are slimming down, swapping full-time headcount for AI and contract labor. What once took armies of workers is now handled by lean crews backed by machines. For employees, it’s a stark reminder that corporate giants no longer promise security—they promise efficiency.

The Machine Will See You Now - Job seekers now face AI systems that analyze every word, pause, and expression before they ever meet a human. Companies claim it streamlines hiring, but it leaves candidates performing under digital surveillance instead of building real connections. For workers, the interview has become less conversation, more interrogation by code.

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The Jim Stroud Podcast

Not subscribed to the Jim Stroud Podcast? Then you’ve been flying blind. Here’s a taste of what they’ve been hearing—while you’ve been missing it.

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The Deepfake Hiring Crisis: Why 25% of Your Candidates Might Be Fake (And How to Fight Back)

The hottest interview question in 2025 isn’t about skills—it’s “Can you wave?”

And no, it’s not a warm-up for small talk. It’s the frontline defense against a new breed of fraud that’s already costing companies billions. By 2028, up to 25% of job applications could be deepfakes, Gartner warns. The clock’s ticking, and the enemy is already inside the gates.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s your Monday morning.

From Lies on Paper to Lies in Pixels

Resume padding? Amateur hour. We’ve upgraded to AI-powered imposters who can survive multiple rounds of interviews without breaking a sweat.

Seventeen percent of hiring managers have already faced a deepfake candidate. Fake faces, stolen IDs, AI headshots, and ChatGPT-polished résumés—sometimes for jobs that pay six figures. One North Korean operative even conned a security firm using this playbook.

The kicker? Not all AI-assisted candidates are crooks. Plenty of honest job seekers are just using the same tools to get noticed. Which means HR is now stuck in a fog where “polished” could mean “prepared”… or “predator.”

The $2 Billion Bloodletting

Employment scams are bleeding companies for $2 billion a year, says HR Executive. Every proxy hire detection costs about $28K in legal bills, investigations, and lost productivity.

That’s before the malware, the stolen customer data, or the ransom demands. One bad hire can burn you for $100,000+.

Zoom out: job scam losses tripled between 2020 and 2023. Half a billion vanished to recruitment scams in 2024 alone. This isn’t trending down—it’s going vertical.

Job Seekers in the Crosshairs

While companies panic-proof their pipelines, legit candidates are paying the price. Waves on camera. IP address checks. Location verifications. Interrogations over VPN use. A process that feels less like recruitment and more like TSA screening.

Meanwhile, 4 in 10 companies were posting fake job listings last year. So yes, the trust problem cuts both ways.

Your Gut Won’t Save You

An “overly polished résumé” used to be a warning sign. Now it might just mean the candidate knows how to use AI well. Laggy audio and strange video cadence? Could be fraud… or could be someone’s hotel Wi-Fi.

The “wave test” has become hiring’s new secret handshake, alongside oddball questions and real-time curveballs to smoke out pre-recorded answers. But the truth? Even veteran recruiters are getting played.

The Tech Arms Race

Biometric scans. Voice matching. AI pattern analysis. Background checks that go way deeper than your old reference calls. The verification industry is exploding.

And so is the black market for tools that beat those systems. Some “interview hacking” AIs are built just to slip past detection. The game is whack-a-mole, and HR’s the one holding the mallet.

The Smart Play: Trust + Teeth

The winners won’t be the ones with the most tech—they’ll be the ones who balance ironclad verification with a process that doesn’t make honest talent feel like suspects.

Normalize security checks. Train recruiters to tell cultural quirks from criminal red flags. Build candidate experiences that are safe without being suffocating.

The payoff? Faster hires. Lower fraud. A reputation that attracts talent who value security as much as you do.

Train for Authenticity

As HR Brew put it: it’s no longer just about skills or culture fit. It’s about spotting the real from the manufactured.

That means fraud detection training for everyone in the hiring chain—HR, managers, team leads. Because tech can flag suspicious signals, but it’s human instinct that makes the final call.

Adapt or Get Played

The deepfake hiring crisis isn’t a future threat—it’s your inbox right now.

Stick to pre-2025 hiring habits, and you’ll keep getting blindsided. Upgrade your defenses, train your people, and you might just turn this from a liability into an advantage.

For candidates, the lesson’s just as clear: in a sea of AI-generated pretenders, authenticity is your sharpest weapon.

The market has already chosen its battlefield. The only question left is: Which side are you on?

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The Fine Print

👉Hey HR Tech Founders! I help early-stage HR Tech startups build authority and trust through strategic content that positions you as the industry expert your prospects already need. Let’s talk. #ghostwriter 

👉Jobin.cloud is your all-in-one bloodhound for finding people and getting their attention—fast. From X-Ray searches to AI-powered outreach using LinkedIn data, it runs lead gen and messaging like a machine with no chill. Try it free, no credit card needed, no excuses.

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One more thing before I go…

⚡ Spread the Signal

This newsletter doesn’t survive on ads. It survives because sharp readers like you forward it, post it, and pull others into the circle. If today’s issue gave you something to chew on, don’t keep it in the shadows—share it.

👉 jimstroud.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The more this community grows, the louder our voice gets.

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