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Reference Checking

Credentials verification critical for all industries

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:13

There is a growing need for decision makers in business to screen applicants and verify credentials. According to credentials verification specialists employers cannot afford to accept anything at face value and all information presented in documents should be sent for professional review.

Ina van der Merwe, CEO at Managed Integrity Evaluation (Pty) Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ideco Group and established credentials provider in South Africa, noted that it is not difficult to find instances of fraud when it comes to credentials presented in the marketplace.

“There has been extensive coverage in the media recently about the arrest and court appearances of so-called ‘bogus’ medical practitioners in South Africa, for example,” says Van der Merwe.

Information in the reports suggest that the issue is not only that people are pretending to be qualified medical personnel, but also that genuine medical practitioners are using their practices to employ unqualified personnel and issue false declarations and certificates to patients.

“This is just one example, albeit a significant one, of how people are trying to manipulate the system. The intention is to by-pass measures that have been put in place to ensure the authenticity of certifications and qualifications and thereby uphold standards,” Van der Merwe adds.

Whilst the media have focused extensively on the healthcare industry, the issue of fraud is by no means limited to only one or two industries Van der Merwe says.

“The issue is widespread and the advice we offer to businesses is to avoid taking on the responsibility of evaluating credentials themselves. The fact is that those who manipulate documents and commit fraud do so using the latest technology and methodologies,” Van der Merwe explains.

MIE has a number of established partnerships in place with regulatory bodies to ensure the verification process is extensive and successful.

This covers a number of areas that have to be checked, including secondary qualifications, tertiary qualifications, memberships and consumer credit records and directorship listings.

Looking ahead management at MIE believes that credentials verification services will increase in significance and value, particularly as markets react to ongoing credit pressure and companies compete to survive.