In a proxy interview, one person clears the interview and a different person shows up for work. For years it was something recruiters in Indian IT whispered about. Now it makes headlines: in 2026, Infosys deferred hiring assessments for more than 20,000 applicants after finding impersonation and assessment malpractice, as reported by The People's Board.
It is not only freshers. In a Checkr survey of 3,000 US managers, 35% said someone other than the candidate had taken part in a virtual interview, and 31% said they had interviewed someone later found to be using a fake identity (HeroHunt).
How proxy interview fraud works
- The full stand-in. A more experienced person takes every online round under the candidate's name. The real candidate appears only after the offer, often for a remote role.
- The voice behind the camera. The candidate is on camera and moves their lips, while someone off-screen or on an earpiece supplies the answers.
- The split round. The candidate handles the HR conversation; a "technical expert" takes over the coding round on a different day.
- The paid service. Proxy interview services advertise openly on social media and messaging groups, charging per round.
- The deepfake. An AI-generated face or voice overlays a different person on a live call. Rarer, but growing — see deepfake job interviews.
Why it slips through
Most online processes check identity once, if at all, and assume the face on round three is the face on round one. Different interviewers see each round. Nobody compares. And in a consultancy, the people who finally meet the candidate — the client — are the last to see them.
Warning signs
- The face, voice or accent changes between rounds.
- The candidate refuses or "can't" turn on the camera, or the camera keeps freezing at convenient moments.
- Lip movement and audio drift out of sync.
- The candidate looks repeatedly at one spot off-screen before answering.
- Strong answers in one round, a different level of English or confidence in the next.
- They cannot recall details of a conversation they supposedly had in an earlier round.
- Phone numbers or email addresses shared with other applicants.
- A reluctance to meet in person, or to join from a quieter, better-lit room.
The checks that stop stand-in candidates
1. Photograph the face and the ID at the start of every round, not only the first. Store them with the round.
2. Compare each round to the first. Put the reference photo from round one beside the live face in later rounds, and ask the panel to confirm it is the same person. A person, not an algorithm, should make that call.
3. Use a second camera. A phone filming the desk from the side shows whether anyone else is in the room, and whether the person speaking is the person typing.
4. Ask about earlier rounds. "In the test last week you chose option B for the caching question — why?" A stand-in for a different round cannot answer.
5. Watch for split voices. A long silence after each question followed by fluent answers suggests someone else is supplying them.
6. Run a short in-person check before the offer, built from the candidate's own online answers. If the same person took the online rounds, it takes five minutes.
7. Keep evidence. If you withdraw an offer, you need pictures and a timeline, not a feeling.
Proxy interviews and the law in India
Impersonating a candidate is cheating by personation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and using someone else's identity documents can attract further offences. Employers rarely prosecute, but clear evidence lets you withdraw an offer or end employment on solid ground. Talk to your legal adviser about your own process.
How Oximus Pro handles identity
Oximus Pro captures a face photograph and ID card before every round, shows the panel the reference photo from the candidate's first round beside the live video, and records the panel's decision — match, mismatch or unsure — with the name of the person who made it. Nothing is matched automatically; people confirm identity and the record shows who did. The phone side view and the final-round check close the remaining gaps. See how it works or book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is a proxy interview?
A proxy interview is when someone other than the real candidate takes part or all of a job interview in their name, so the candidate gets an offer they could not have earned themselves.
How do companies detect proxy interviews?
By capturing a face photo and ID at every round, comparing later rounds with the first, using a second camera to see the room, asking about details from earlier rounds, and verifying in person before the offer.
Is a proxy interview a crime in India?
Impersonating another person to gain a job can amount to cheating by personation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and misuse of identity documents can be a further offence. Take legal advice before acting on a specific case.
Can video interviews prevent proxy candidates?
Plain video calls rarely do, because nobody compares faces across rounds. A process with photo and ID capture at each round, side-camera monitoring and a final in-person check makes proxies far harder.
