Staffing firm Kforce has selected 1Kosmos to verify the identity of consultants before placement, as candidate substitution fraud rises.
US-based identity verification and passwordless authentication provider 1Kosmos has announced that Kforce, a publicly listed US firm specialising in technology, finance and accounting, and professional staffing, has selected its identity verification platform. Kforce will use the platform to help prevent fraudulent candidates among the approximately 17,000 consultants it places each year.
The risk of candidate substitution
From 2024, Kforce saw a rise in candidate fraud, including cases where the person who arrived for an assignment was not the person the recruiter and client had interviewed. In some cases, Kforce only learned of the substitution weeks later, when a client raised concerns. With more than 8,000 consultants on assignment at any given time, such fraud risks undermining client trust and could give impostors access to client systems. Kforce had internal fraud controls and investigation teams, but handoffs between recruiters, account managers, and client interviewers left a gap in confirming that the person placed was the person hired.
Matthew Nelson, Senior Director of Program Management at Kforce, stated that the company had put in place strict processes and internal technology but lacked independent identity verification. According to Nelson, 1Kosmos now provides assurance that the person Kforce interviewed and onboarded is the same person who arrives at the client’s location.
Verification before the first day
Every Kforce hire now completes a mobile identity check, regardless of location. The platform validates a government-issued ID, captures a live facial image, and confirms that the person completing the check matches the document, with liveness detection designed to identify attempts to use a photo, video, or deepfake. The check takes place before the consultant starts work, and each verification creates a record that Kforce can review, with role-based access restricting who can view sensitive information. Kforce went live with 1Kosmos in under six weeks, adding it to its existing compliance process without a large-scale integration.
Mike Engle, Chief Strategy Officer at 1Kosmos, stated that a recruiter and client can complete an interview and still have a different person arrive on the first day, and that 1Kosmos allows Kforce to verify that the person starting work is the one who was hired. Kforce is evaluating further uses of identity verification across its workforce processes. 1Kosmos, which has raised more than USD 72 million in venture funding, also serves banks, telecommunications providers, healthcare organisations, and retailers. The case shows how identity impersonation, including deepfakes, is extending from financial services onboarding into hiring.
