Persona Blocks 75 Million Deepfakes to Combat AI-Powered Hiring Fraud

San Francisco-based identity verification platform Persona announced a significant expansion of its workforce screening capabilities on June 24, 2025, to combat the rising threat of AI-generated deepfake candidates in corporate hiring. The new tools specifically target sophisticated AI-powered fake personas that can deceive human resources (HR) professionals during video interviews and resume evaluations. The threat of deepfakes in hiring has grown considerably, driven by advancements in generative AI and coordinated efforts by foreign actors. Cybersecurity experts warn that these fake candidates, often backed by state-sponsored groups like those from North Korea, can pose severe risks to companies by infiltrating systems and stealing intellectual property. According to a Gartner report from April 2025, one in four candidate profiles globally could be fake by 2028, highlighting the magnitude of the problem. Persona's enhanced Workforce Identity Verification (IDV) solution integrates seamlessly with major enterprise platforms, including Okta’s Workforce Identity Cloud and Cisco Duo, enabling real-time identity verification. In 2024 alone, Persona blocked over 75 million AI-based face spoofing attempts, demonstrating the massive scale of the issue. These deepfakes have become so advanced that traditional background check methods, which assume the candidate's identity is genuine, are insufficient to combat the threat. CEO and co-founder Rick Song explained that Persona's approach involves a "multimodal" strategy comprising three layers of verification: the input (photos, videos, documents), the environmental context (device characteristics, network signals, capture methods), and population-level patterns that might indicate coordinated attacks. For instance, while an AI can generate a photorealistic image, it is much harder to spoof geolocation, device fingerprints, and consistent behavioral patterns. Persona’s detection algorithms are currently more effective at identifying deepfakes than humans, although this is an ongoing arms race with AI continually improving. Song emphasized the quick deployment of the enhanced solution, which can be integrated within 30 minutes to an hour for organizations already using Okta or Cisco’s identity management platforms. The system is designed to create "friction for bad users to prevent them from getting through" while ensuring legitimate candidates can complete verification swiftly. Major technology companies, such as OpenAI, are already benefiting from Persona’s advanced screening. OpenAI, which processes millions of user verifications monthly, has achieved 99% automated screening with just 18 milliseconds of latency, thanks to Persona’s sanctions screening capabilities. This helps prevent bad actors from accessing its powerful language models while maintaining a smooth experience for genuine users. The shift toward remote work has exacerbated the need for robust identity verification. Song noted, "In the past, if someone showed up in person, you knew with relative certainty they were who they claimed to be. But with remote interviews, this could all be a deepfake." The identity verification market is expected to grow rapidly, reaching $21.8 billion by 2028, up from $10.9 billion in 2023, with workforce applications being one of the fastest-growing segments. Looking ahead, Song believes that the future of digital identity verification will pivot toward accumulating a behavioral history. Instead of focusing solely on detecting AI-generated content, the emphasis will be on verifying a candidate's digital footprint—such as transactions, course completions, and purchases—over time. This approach would make it much harder for bad actors to create convincing false identities, as they would need to fabricate years of authentic interactions. The enhanced Persona Workforce IDV solution is now available, supporting government ID verification in over 200 countries and territories, and integrating with leading identity and access management platforms. As remote work continues to evolve, companies are increasingly recognizing the urgent need to verify the actual existence of job candidates before evaluating their qualifications. Industry Insights and Evaluation: The rapid rise of deepfake hiring fraud presents a significant challenge for corporations, particularly those operating in high-tech and security-sensitive industries. Persona's multimodal verification strategy offers a promising solution by combining various layers of data to create a comprehensive defense against AI-generated imposters. Industry analysts expect the market for such solutions to expand rapidly, driven by the growing necessity for real-time identity verification in remote work environments. Persona's proactive measures and innovative approach are likely to set new standards in the field, enhancing the security and integrity of corporate hiring processes.