I’ve come across two of these in the last few years of running interviews.
All you have to do is ask about where they live and what they like about it. One, when asked about living in a dead-flat suburb of Houston, said he liked the mountains.
Easy workaround, AI & LLMS can generate you a random area you live and a simple profile from the perspective of people
What do you like about New Jersey?
"I like New Jersey for its proximity to NYC and Philadelphia, the huge variety of food (from diners to boardwalk pizza), and the great beaches and boardwalks like Asbury Park and Cape May."[1]
I’ve posted about this problem before. It’s happened to me twice at two different companies.
This is a legit problem. They pose as American citizens or permanent residents. Sometimes even using a VPN into the US. HR folks would not catch on.
I’ve actually interviewed two of these people over the years. They somehow got through the initial screenings.
It’s a bizarre experience. Most of the time there is a significant delay with silence between your question and their answer. It’s as if they’re being fed the perfect answer. Problem is they could never answer or pretended to not understand any follow-up questions.
You could always hear others in the background. One time I was given an answer that I had heard someone else in the room give just 2 minutes before.
The question that really solidified my hunch was about their location. The applicants would always claim to be from a very small town somewhere in the US. In my two experiences I happened to know a lot about those towns. The first said they “really enjoyed the mountains” when I asked what brought them to a Houston suburb. When I asked the other applicant if they had any damage from the hurricane that went through St. Augustine, FL, they replied “What hurricane?”
Now, neither of these people would have been hired even if they had stellar interviews as we do make use of background checks and verification services. This scheme really only works for third-party dev shops or desperate small companies.
I haven’t gotten too deep on this subject, but I’ve had a good experience with GitHub Codespaces on my iPad. Mostly just use it for quick updates on my site.
This is a legit problem. They pose as American citizens or permanent residents. Sometimes even using a VPN into the US. HR folks would not catch on.
I’ve actually interviewed two of these people over the years. They somehow got through the initial screenings.
It’s a bizarre experience. Most of the time there is a significant delay with silence between your question and their answer. It’s as if they’re being fed the perfect answer. Problem is they could never answer or pretended to not understand any follow-up questions.
You could always hear others in the background. One time I was given an answer that I had heard someone else in the room give just 2 minutes before.
The question that really solidified my hunch was about their location. The applicants would always claim to be from a very small town. In my two experiences I happened to know a lot about those towns. The first said they “really enjoyed the mountains” when I asked what brought them to a Houston suburb. When I asked the other applicant if they had any damage from the hurricane that went through St. Augustine, FL, they replied “What hurricane?”
Now, neither of these people would have been hired even if they had stellar interviews as we do make use of background checks and verification services. This scheme really only works for third-party dev shops or desperate small companies.
Right I do have a EIN, but because my LLC is a single member my understanding is it's treated (personal and LLC all the same) even though legally they are independent. A bit of a grey area, I like tax grey areas. :-)
Some of the most complex machinery ever conceived, built in different countries, launched to the most inhospitable environment, and all those pieces had to work together the first time they touched.
