I've come across statistics (without confirming their accuracy) that suggest between 17-30% of employees use fake references at some point in their careers. This is not surprising, given the challenging job market and the high expectations of employers. What did surprise me, however, is that I only recently learned about companies that professionally provide such services.
Has anyone here successfully used a fake reference and feels comfortable sharing their experience?
There is a plethora of information online discouraging this behavior, stating that companies could take legal action against those who use fake references (but why would they spend money to do so?), and that it could damage one's professional reputation (how would future employers know if you were fired for using a fake reference without me disclosing that information? Isn't it illegal to pull credit for jobs in many states?).
In an unfair job market, there is much to gain from using a fake reference. Ethically, I would be opposed to anyone using a fake reference for medical, legal, law enforcement, or first responder careers (perhaps there are other unethical examples that I haven't mentioned), but who, besides the company itself, are you hurting by using a fake reference to obtain a sales or product management position? And why should I care about harming a company that is itself unethical? I can answer that, I shouldn't.