In 2019, The Star reported the story of a Singaporean man who used false credentials to obtain employment at 38 companies over four years. The man got 11 months in jail and fined $1,600 (RM4,817) for his offenses. Resume forgery is a global issue that can damage even the most prominent companies. Yahoo US severed ways with its CEO after only four months when they discovered he fabricated his second computer science degree.
This makes us ponder what could happen if you lied on your resume or fabricated your credentials in Malaysia? According to a report, only 25–41% of Malaysian employers conduct background investigations to verify job applicants’ education and employment history. Therefore, this reminded us by the recent scandals involving fake credentials to resume forgery or during job interviews to obtain that new position/promotion.
After all, what could possibly go wrong? These individuals had the same concept which are resume forgery.
In 2016, rumors circulated about a ‘Dr. Pharmacist’ – a 28-year-old “Datuk Seri Dr” who claimed to be a doctor and pharmacist and was admitted as a life-member of the Malaysian Pharmacist Society (MPS) and a member of other medical associations. After stealing money, he was found to have lied about his schooling and personal life and was never a doctor. If you think the story of ‘Dr. Pharmacist’ is terrible, considering that a woman in the United Kingdom worked as a doctor for more than 20 years before discovering she had lied about her degree.
Also, in Azman Idrus v SGA Services [2015], the applicant applied for the “Admin, Human Resources, and Legal Advisor” position at SGA Services. During the job interview, he presented himself as a qualified attorney with experience. He maintained this image while employed by the company. Nearly three years later, after being repeatedly urged to provide evidence, Mr. Azman was unable to do so and admitted that he had lied. He was fired and went on to sue for “unfair dismissal,” only for the courts to determine he was validly fired.
Or you may be familiar with the most recent case in which a Malaysian boy, who in April 2020 lied about obtaining a NASA scholarship. Then, cheated his way into this year’s Perdana Fellowship, a prestigious Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) programme.
Consequently, you could lose your job.
When you deceive on your resume or during an interview, you misrepresent yourself to prospective employers. In numerous cases, our courts have reaffirmed that misrepresentation is a just cause and excuse for dismissal (that is, it is a valid reason to terminate an employee).
As evidenced by the 2018 case Khoo Kim Loang v. Kim Siah Electric, lying about job experience, prior salaries, and working knowledge can also land you in legal trouble. In this instance, they fired Mr. Khoo three days after discovering he fabricated entirely his employment history and pay stubs from a nonexistent company. He attempted to contest his dismissal, but the courts compared his resume to one from a prior case in which he was also involved [Khoo Kim Loang v. Shock Media Studio (2018)]. The court determined that Mr. Khoo had used a nearly identical false resume in both cases. It reiterated that his dishonesty was a valid reason for his immediate termination.
And if you believe you’re secure because you’ve been with your company for a long time, reconsider. In the 2014 case Kamaruddin Beedin v. Indah Water Konsortium, Mr. Kamaruddin was dismissed after submitting a forgery with his promotion application. Even though Mr. Kamaruddin had been with the company for 12 years, the court ruled that his dismissal was lawful.
If your employers are furious and submit a police report owing to your academic credential forgery, the situation could worsen. To avoid confusion, three types of degrees could land you in difficulty.
Degree from an unrecognized institution.
Fake degree from a faked institution.
Fake degree from a legitimate university.
Resume forgery is punishable by a fine and/or up to two years in prison.
The act of forging a college degree is analogous to manufacturing counterfeit currency. You could be charged underSection 465 and 471 Penal Code for forgery. (or even under Section 468 with up to 7 years jail – forgery for cheating).
Cheating is punishable by a fine, ranging from 1 to 10 years in prison.
In extreme cases, you could be charged with deception under Section 420 Penal Code, as with the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) professor who forged his Ph.D. In this instance, a 51-year-old male applied to be a lecturer at USM using forged British and American credentials. By the time they found out about the forgery, USM already had nearly RM200,000 in salary-related losses.
Resume forgery can potentially damage your career in the age of social media and internet job platforms.
Anisa is a writer who focuses on career and lifestyle topics in an effort to motivate both job searchers and employers towards greater fulfillment in their professional lives.
In 2019, The Star reported the story of a Singaporean man who used false credentials to obtain employment at 38 companies over four years. The man got 11 months in jail and fined $1,600 (RM4,817) for his offenses. Resume forgery is a global issue that can damage even the most prominent companies. Yahoo US severed ways with its CEO after only four months when they discovered he fabricated his second computer science degree.