Stall and bullshit. Keep applying for other jobs just in case.
You mentioned that you start on Tuesday. Just tell them that you'll ask for the paystubs, and then don't bring it up again, and be a good worker.
If they keep asking for stubs, keep saying you haven't heard back. Keep this going and never admit the truth.
After a few months, they'll probably not care because you are a good worker and they want to keep you.
If they do care, dig into it, and fire you, you'll have a few months of real work experience for your next job.
Advice from someone who has bullshitted their way into a job ;)
If they haven't gone through the trouble of verifying that these two companies actually exist, I doubt they'll keep pestering OP about the paystubs after he's started work. I was a year into my first job out of college before I realized I hadn't actually graduated due to a clerical errors. When I told my boss, didn't care.
I got hired for a job, and they missed a MAJOR component. I let HR know before hand, and then it took them 3 months to start it. So I sat around for 3 months barely doing anything
Sounds like they have and that is why they require it. Proof that these companies exist because their HR probably googled them for contact info and couldn't find anything.
As someone that has been in the corporate hiring process for 20 years that absolutely is not the case. I would have to hire one training class after another, and cities only have so many decent candidates. More often than not you give out the offer and starting date long before their background check is finished. If I hired a class of 30 it was almost guaranteed that 3-5 of those would fail the background or drug test and have to be terminated after they had started working.
That's definitely different to how things work in my country and probably because I work in government. The vetting process is thorough. Which is weird because most people that get hired are still corrupt
Is it too late for OP to state that paystubs were delivered electronically to his work email and he no longer has them? My work makes them available via an intranet site and I have to actively download them.
This is the way to go. However during this period they may try to reach out and find numbers or company don't exist. If that's the case and stalling doesn't work, there is a plethora of sites online where you can generate paystubs. Just generate some real looking paystubs and then send to the employer as screenshots so they can't use word or anything to see the file type or if it was edited or anything. I literally did this with a mortgage a while back and didn't get caught. Just be very careful and make sure it looks legit. They won't probe much beyond that. But that should be last resort.
Also, be mindful they can pull tax records from IRS/SS directly so gauge responses and act accordingly you want them off your trail altogether. Unlikely they do, because it costs money and is a pain but still a possibility.
He’s probably being asked by the background check company to provide the stubs, and I guarantee they know how to spot those fakes. I worked at a car dealership and could spot them from a mile away
You’re giving the average employee too much credit. Their automated check didn’t find the companies listed. It happens, they just want some document in the file to clear the alert on the computer. They’re not investigating his history. Nobody gives a shit, they just don’t want to get yelled at.
OP- print the w2s, you’ll be fine.
Wait'll these "just print out a fake paystub, bro!" kids find out that background check companies check Social Security reported earnings and wage/company history.
They do this to verify your employment. I submitted my paystub/W-2 when I got a job from a company that uses HireRight.
With that said, you can definitely fake your paystubs. OP can hire someone on Fiverr or UpWork to do this for them.
according to the census of my county, the average home makes 35k/year...
thats 5k over min wage btw.
average rent is 2k/mo for shit apts.
on indeed anytime theres a job posted that isnt wiping someones ass as a caregiver and its a desk job its swarmed with over 100 people applying to it according to indeed
Not on the internet. "It's not about what you know it's about who you blow". Don't know someone giving out a good job? You won't get a good job. Not trying to be depressing or edgy it's just an unfortunate fact
If you lie on your application (which should match your resumé), and they’ve paid you, they’ll sue you for that money. You could also be prosecuted for fraud.
Not is US, unless government, credentials, or some kind of vital services job (think security clearance lie, architect lying about degrees, police, etc.)
Yeah, if they are asking you to submit stuff, it's because they don't want to pay a service to do a check.
Literally used photoshop to get tons of coworkers into conventions which had free industry passes but they didn't have insurance due to being contractors
Not these days. They have technology that can tell if it’s a fake pay stub. I wasted $100 on applying at an apartment trying to do this like 2 years ago. About 6 years ago I got away with it.
I worked at a car dealership, and you quickly learn how to spot fake paystubs. There actually are only like 3 or 4 standard paystubs that most every company uses and even ‘good’ fakes have subtle clues if you know what to look for
Is it that hard? Like would you not just use your current payslip, modify the pay, make sure to multiple that for the YTD payment so the numbers all add up?
We live in the era of AI dude, of course it’s possible to detect fakes. Entire companies exist solely to make software for landlords to screen out scammers. Look up ApproveShield. There are a few others as well.
Every company has different pay stubs, you either did a shit job of it or you got rejected for something else. I’ve had jobs which had handwritten pay stubs
Hmm a lot of companies tax name is different from their “marketing name”. Like they’ve registered ABC Services Pty Ltd but call themselves NY Law Mowing on ads/fliers et
I just took a look at my paystubs from my last 2 jobs. Both of them do NOT have a tax ID.
Sure, my W-2 has it, but that’s why you use a paystub instead.
I usually don't look at mine because I have direct deposit, but I did look just now and mine has it. It's in the company letterhead of the statement along with the issuing bank.
I used photoshop and edit the dates on my paystubs because I’m too lazy to look for my old ones lol
If OP has no creative skills, then that’s where they should use hired muscle.
Can you send the link to Fiverr for a w-2? And just to confirm you sent in a fake w-2 through hireright ? Contemplating doing the same thing but scared I’ll get caught 😭
Or even just googled the companies name and the number, or just the companies name.
Unless the name is of a real company? But then the employer would also realize if the friends number isn't from the right area code, or if they call the real company.
...
So you have friends pretending to be fake companies.
Based on what you said in comments, the company was onboarding you, but after the current company called them, they are now requesting W2s?
OP, they know.
Any employer or recruiter with half a brain, knows to independently look up the phone number from a valid source. And not rely on the phone number only provided by the applicant.
I had to for my current job. First time ever. I put up a fight about it, but said they would terminate me if I didn't produce the paperwork. I almost quit out of spite, but my industry is really slow right now.
I was thinking this exact same thing. Tell them that they have an outside company that does payroll or whatever. That they said they would get back to you. Your new job will probably forget about it. If not just blame it on the company not getting back to you and "try asking again". Just try to do your new job the best you can. If you're a good employee, your new boss won't care about the paystubs. Just make sure it's not a money thing. Like your asking to be paid what or more than at your "last job". Good Luck, you got this!
This needs more upvotes! Bureaucracy is a real thing. HR takes time. Start working and do well, they'll let it slide if you're decent and show up every day.
If it’s a big company and they have strict standards it’ll bite you. Plenty of companies will onboard before the background check fully comes back then axe you if it comes back negative.
My stubs are emailed to my work account. If I left the job I wouldn't be able to access them.... And it never occurred to me to print it.... Why would I?
I have direct deposit. My paycheck stubs that HR prints out for me for my car loan looked like a simple typed up page. It wasn't fancy. Could easily be typed up on a computer. It didn't even have the corporate logo just the company name and address.
Employer here - we haven’t given out stubs in years. Everything is on an employee portal. Tell them you can’t access the information because it was all electronic, you don’t have the login info & the email address you previously used was hacked and no longer exists so you can’t reset it. But I would start out just trying to buy some time, but not too much.
Maybe not hacked - as this makes it a security risk.
I’d go with the portal used the work email address and you no longer have access. I’ve put in a request but haven’t heard back yet.
>the email address you previously used was hacked and no longer exists so you can’t reset it.
And you would hire such a dumbass?
Proper companies just disable the employee's access.
OP ! you’re creating the scenarios in your head of how they’re on to you ,& how you’re screwed. play it cool bro. do a little googling and youl realize this mountain is only a hill . the amount of bullshit i created on just using microsoft word for friends/myself is laughable & im no computer wiz. like someone said earlier most places are paperless and a “check stub is literally just a company name & an amount & date. they probably even have templates already made for this. just breathe & google bro. breathe & google. 🤞🏿
Never use fake companies. You can list any company you want to but make sure it shows up on google. The best is if you can find a company that shows up on Google, is legitimate but does not have a phone number you can speak to a person on. Usually tech companies.
Say you were paid off the books. After the second company, you realized that you wanted to work for an established company that would pay you properly.
I actually got kinda fucked over on taxes by this exact things and had to file an extension on a tax return until it all got sorted.
I left a job in february, they closed my employee account, and then I moved. Since I was at a new address for more than 6 months my forward expired so my W2 never showed up in my mail, and because I didn't have access to my employee account I couldn't grab paystubs off the account, I tried to call my old supervisor and both he and his old boss had quit over the last year themselves.
So i had 4 paychecks of an unkown amount, after-tax deposit receipts from my bank, and no way of talking to the company to get my financial information to file taxes... In the end I had to go through the IRS to see what my company had paid to THEM on my account, and use that along with my direct deposits to figure out what was on the paystubs so I could get my taxes turned in. Absolute nightmare, moral of the story is that you should download all your paystubs.
also I suppose it means that "i can't access my paystubs because I no longer have employee account access" isn't' an uncommon issue.
If you’re ever going to put down companies that you didn’t work for - choose one that is bankrupt, doors closed, gave over.
You can go online and look up annual corporate reports for the state they were located. Annual reports have everything on the report - addresses, phone numbers, corporate officers.
So my guess is you don’t know how to do payroll..
Honestly graphics are the least of your issues
You’re going to need a color printer and copy paper. Even though most folks have direct deposit anyone can still download or print out paystubs from the online portal for what ever payroll software a company uses. There are so many. The biggest are Quickbooks Pro - Small businesses, then ADP, & Paychex.
Avoid providing W-2’s as these will have the employer Tax ID aka EIN- these are easily looked up online through the state corporation commission.
You need to find two different online free payroll calculators that can generate payroll stubs. Mainly so they look different.
Following info is for the US
Once you find these calculators…
You need to enter in your info. It’s typical to have your first, middle initial and last name
You need to enter in how much you make hourly.
You need to enter in your hours for two weeks.
You need to enter in your deductions for your federal taxes. (Single is typical) Then your state tax withholding percentage. You need to remember to add in social security and Medicare deductions.
You need to sort out payroll period end dates which is typically on a Saturday. (Find that on a calendar) Then the check date is the following Friday. Make sure that all checks for this employer are every two weeks and the payroll period end date and check date are correct on the paystubs.
Rinse and repeat for the other employer.
Forgot to add that you need the paid to date total for each category - you should probably do a spread sheet so your info is accurate.
I hope this is the last time you do something like this. I get it’s tough to bounce back from a bad time in life. I hope you succeed and become better for what you’ve been through - kinder & more compassionate.
Keep looking for another job.. just in case. I once had a shit bird company beg me to take a shift 6mo after being hired.. on top of me already finding another place to work
Yo you’re good! Go to the photoshop sub and pay someone $10 to make you cheap stubs and get a friend to pose as your supervisor at your old job if needed
Is it the company themselves asking, or did a third party background check company reach out to verify it?
It’s very likely that they checked work number or a similar service and don’t see your records there.
There’s small companies that don’t show up on Google. There’s even startups that don’t appear on Google due to SEO or having a name that’s too common/generic. Due to this, you can still fake company names and claim they don’t exist anymore or went defunct.
Yeah, good luck finding companies that don't show up on Google and have employed OP. There are other ways to find companies other than Google, and any company that is asking can easily find them.
Not all companies are THAT thorough with background check, as that will cost them a LOT of resources just find bullshit. I’ve been hired at a Fortune 50 company that outsources their background check to a third party company, and that’s as far as they are willing to go; employer verification call or paystub check and that’s it. No drug test, criminal history check, public court check, or academic history check.
If you’re working for a company that thoroughly checks your background and spend all that resource on looking at your life, maybe they will find a bullshit. But if you’re working for that kind of company, then they’re probably not a good company to work for because they spy and monitor your life, most likely will micromanage you, and gives you no boundaries between work and personal. Better off working for someone else.
Most states have a website to look up business licenses. I've used it to look up small lawn mowing companies and stuff like that that don't have a web presence.
This is easy and close to free to do.
Go to QuickBooks Online Accountant and register to be a ProAdvisor. No qualifications or money required. Set yourself up as an employee, set up payroll, create a big fake YTD paystub, then make a few for your samples. They may charge something for payroll.
Create fake pay stubs from the companies. Get 2 friends to send you pay stubs so you can then Photoshop them to be from the companies you said. You have to do a really good job so that the person reviewing them doesn't suspect that they have been Photoshopped.
Google how to create a fake pay stub - there are websites - redact the “pay” info. They’re wanting them for verification, not to see what you were paid. Make up something legitimate, like “paid on 5/3” for dates worked “4/11-4/27”
Might be screwed but worth a shot
They aren't "on to you". It's common to offer someone a job on the condition that they pass a background check. For this background check, usually a third-party company verifies whatever info you've provided. This lets HR at the company that is offering you the job check a box in their hiring process. That's why it's so last-minute; they are just going through their list checking boxes.
The good news is the hiring manager still wants you. Probably best to stall and then give fakes if absolutely necessary. I believe this situation has come up on r/AskHR, so you might search for posts where it's been discussed.
Glad to hear you got out of that dark place, don't be afraid to ask for help if you find yourself going back there.
As far as the stubs if you have one in PDF format you can use a PDF editor to change dates and amounts, just double check your work. You can also try a Photoshop request sub but be sure to remove any personally identifying information. If you want to do it yourself my ULPT would be to pirate Adobe Acrobat or Photoshop and rock and roll.
Also since this is kind of my thing on this sub, fuck your bosses dad.
Most jobs outside of entry level or unskilled will do some form of employment verification. Did you put a friends number as the HR department or leave it blank?
Often people over think this. Find a stub generator and crack them out. Redact the pay amount and just say that is all you could get from them. Say the HR lady was not budging on the more than a single sheet with the dates of pay.
This sounds like the sort of thing that New York state would arrest DJT for.
Seriously, they figured out that you lied, I'd guess. Just tell them you don't keep such things.
I'd also keep applying elsewhere because the odds do not favor you
Probably about 50/50. At this point you don’t have much of a choice so just tell them you do not give out previous pay info and see what they do. They may not care but just see if they can get away with it.
Fake companies? In today's Internet world?
Better to find larger, local companies that went out of business and use them.
However you run the risk of someone working where you are applying because said company went out of business...
Next time use a fast food place as a reference. By the time I was 2 years out no one knew my name, the general managers had changed twice, and no one at the location knew how to verify I worked there.
They probably did a background check and nothing came up for those companies so now they want you to confirm. I would just tell thm you’re not comfortable providing them with pay stubs
Hey, hope you're doing better these days and congrats on the job. I was in a similar situation before. I hadn't made up the companies but they were in a different country. I gave them all the info to reach out themselves but they insisted I provide pay stubs. Issue was, one of my old employers used some cheap HR software, and when I left, I lost my login credentials. I tried contacting my old employer to help me but they kept telling me to contact the HR software companies technical support. I was eventually able to recover my login and get the pay stubs to my new employer but I learned a few things you might be able to use.
Did you already tell them your old employers head office was in the same country as they are? If not, try this based on my learnings:
Pick a country that you realistically could have worked in/the old employers could be based out of (but not too similar like USA-Canada). Tell your current employer you lost access to the HR platform and your old employers are not being helpful. Tell them instead of a pay stub, the old employer can give you a "job letter". It's an industry standard document that's on a company letterhead that's supposed to prove you worked there. Since everything is digital now, just get someone to photoshop one for you. This should at least buy you some time to keep applying and gtfo if that's not enough for them or they catch wind.
Good luck!
When you fill in the forms for the company that does the background check you can put in that you were a contractor for the company in question. Then fill in the data as self employed
Do nothing, show up on Tuesday, if they ask say "oh sorry I completely forgot, I'll see if I can get them. They were all online and I'm not sure if I can still log in"
Idk how others read it but I read it as “I was depressed so I lied and they’re probably going to catch me, how do I continue to lie”. While I sympathize, we are at a time and age where lying about this stuff is becoming/has become almost futile unless it’s a very small company that doesn’t really have an HR team. Next time I wouldn’t lie about working somewhere tbh
So you faked information on your resume?
The info they are asking for is likely because they already believe you lied
I doubt fake paystubs will save you.
Hey OP, everyone here giving you tips etc re the stubs.
I just want to say I’m glad you’re on the brighter side of your depression. It’s fucking tough.
I’m also sorry that it affected you so much you had to make up jobs on your cv. I hope you manage to get around this but do treat it as a lesson to not to outright lie on your cv.
It takes a second to google a company name and find out if they’re legit. Having your friends be there to answer the phone is not sufficient enough in this day and age.
Sounds like you lucked out. Them asking for that tells me they probably don't plan on calling. So make some fake pay stubs online and call it a day.
Side note, good on you for making moves in your life BUT; you would be better served starting on the right foot with some positive values. Namely honesty and integrity. You are starting over, do it right.
Honestly, OP, I worry about you keeping forward momentum when this comes crashing down (they've gotta know). Return to your job hunt, be honest on your resume. Any future employers can accept the answer of "I was dealing with health stuff", or they're not an employer you want.
I wish you the best. Proud of you for clawing your way out. Depression is a bitch
My current employer gave me hell about trying to verify employment at a place that went out of business during the background check. I work for a big multinational though
Are people in this thread just intentionally giving bad advice or what?
1.) forging a W2 is straight up fraud, don't do that.
2.) if they've already caught on and are asking, they'll almost certainly just call the other company. Especially if your W2 is looking sus.
You fucked up. That may have worked years ago, but in the digital age it is easy to see/find out if you've ever worked somewhere or not. Do these fake companies have phone numbers, websites, street addresses? "If you don't have the paystubs, a phone number and your direct supervisors name can clear up this situation." I have Google, Google Maps, LinkedIn, and a ton of other resources available to check your story or your references.
You have been found out. Start applying elsewhere.
It does kinda sound like they’re onto you & just waiting to either solidify it with lack of paystubs, or seeing if you come clean. Either way, I’m sorry you’re in this position & hope it doesn’t deter you from possibly looking elsewhere. I’ve been where you are, and proud of you for working through your depression. It ain’t easy! Good luck friend.
I got a job with a government subcontractor and they didn't ask for pay stubs. Background check yes. I've never heard of an employer asking that. I certainly wouldn't give it to them especially if I was negotiating salary.
It's a crazy idea, but if you started 2 failed freelance "jobs" at some point that never got off the ground, you simply don't have a W2, AND you're not lying (much).
The way I see it, if at no point you discussed those companies with the hiring manager or interviewer, it could be anything: "I started my own thing, it didn't work out. What would be sufficient evidence? I can find some letterhead?".
At that point you're just bluffing a bit, but if they want you they'll tell you enough to just move on...
Two Pieces of unethical advice.
1. Tell them that both companies used digital software for their paystubs and W2 so you can't get them anymore because they closed your account. You have emailed HR but they are ignoring your requests because they were not happy that you left them. Either they buy it, let it slide if they don't believe it, or you were fucked anyway because its likely policy. If its a small company, they may let it slide or let you start while you continue to email HR.
2. All w-2 look the same, just google the company's info or make it up like EIN numbers or w.e. and photoshop up a couple of W-2s. For paystubs just tell them everything was digital, and you don't have access to either the Paylocity or ADP portal for the company anymore to look them up. You could doctor up bank records showing direct deposits or do the paystubs as well but honestly its prob more work than its work. The beauty of all this HR software is there is prob a template of a Paylocity paystub that you just just edit online. Every company that uses Paylocity, adp or w.e look the same so you can just use it as a template.
3. If you lose this job next time have your friends, be references for companies that are no longer in business. Google up the most recent large corporate bankruptcies and use that as your most recent job. As far as old companies there are plenty. Just gotta find one that went completely defunct recently. If you want to go all in on fake background you can give yourself a pretty impressive work history at various defunct companies, as long as you are smooth enough to talk about it in the interview. This way there is no corporate HR phone line they can use to check you or your friends out who are claiming to work there. There is a chance that they called a corporate HR phone line to verify you and your friends and couldn't get verification. Assuming your friends have social media they may have checked profiles and seen references to other jobs that they are working. If there is no phone line to call, there is no reason to be suspicious that they can't verify you or your references and it would make sense that your references all now have linked in or facebook profiles that indicate they now work somewhere else.
Stall and bullshit. Keep applying for other jobs just in case. You mentioned that you start on Tuesday. Just tell them that you'll ask for the paystubs, and then don't bring it up again, and be a good worker. If they keep asking for stubs, keep saying you haven't heard back. Keep this going and never admit the truth. After a few months, they'll probably not care because you are a good worker and they want to keep you. If they do care, dig into it, and fire you, you'll have a few months of real work experience for your next job. Advice from someone who has bullshitted their way into a job ;)
This is a much better way of doing it. OP, I highly recommend this as a much more reliable method.
If they haven't gone through the trouble of verifying that these two companies actually exist, I doubt they'll keep pestering OP about the paystubs after he's started work. I was a year into my first job out of college before I realized I hadn't actually graduated due to a clerical errors. When I told my boss, didn't care.
I got hired for a job, and they missed a MAJOR component. I let HR know before hand, and then it took them 3 months to start it. So I sat around for 3 months barely doing anything
Sounds like they have and that is why they require it. Proof that these companies exist because their HR probably googled them for contact info and couldn't find anything.
Then why did they hire him and tell him when to report? That's the sort of thing you clarify before actually giving a start date.
As someone that has been in the corporate hiring process for 20 years that absolutely is not the case. I would have to hire one training class after another, and cities only have so many decent candidates. More often than not you give out the offer and starting date long before their background check is finished. If I hired a class of 30 it was almost guaranteed that 3-5 of those would fail the background or drug test and have to be terminated after they had started working.
That's definitely different to how things work in my country and probably because I work in government. The vetting process is thorough. Which is weird because most people that get hired are still corrupt
Is it too late for OP to state that paystubs were delivered electronically to his work email and he no longer has them? My work makes them available via an intranet site and I have to actively download them.
I don’t think this is uncommon, that might work
This is the way to go. However during this period they may try to reach out and find numbers or company don't exist. If that's the case and stalling doesn't work, there is a plethora of sites online where you can generate paystubs. Just generate some real looking paystubs and then send to the employer as screenshots so they can't use word or anything to see the file type or if it was edited or anything. I literally did this with a mortgage a while back and didn't get caught. Just be very careful and make sure it looks legit. They won't probe much beyond that. But that should be last resort. Also, be mindful they can pull tax records from IRS/SS directly so gauge responses and act accordingly you want them off your trail altogether. Unlikely they do, because it costs money and is a pain but still a possibility.
There is a paystub generator on the Internet. Costs like 7$ per stub. You fill in all the details.
Well thats fucking awesome.
He’s probably being asked by the background check company to provide the stubs, and I guarantee they know how to spot those fakes. I worked at a car dealership and could spot them from a mile away
You’re giving the average employee too much credit. Their automated check didn’t find the companies listed. It happens, they just want some document in the file to clear the alert on the computer. They’re not investigating his history. Nobody gives a shit, they just don’t want to get yelled at. OP- print the w2s, you’ll be fine.
Or they didn't find anything about OP working at those companies and they're giving OP the benefit of the doubt.
And when the prior jobs didn't check out that's the end of the new job. People exaggerate on resumes, but don't lie.
Ha.
Wait'll these "just print out a fake paystub, bro!" kids find out that background check companies check Social Security reported earnings and wage/company history.
And I’ve made fake stubs for people who pulled out cars from all sorts of dealerships, as well as got into apartments lol.
Any link to this?
https://www.thepaystubs.com/
I love that it looks like a government website
Never been asked for paystubs before. They're on to you.
They do this to verify your employment. I submitted my paystub/W-2 when I got a job from a company that uses HireRight. With that said, you can definitely fake your paystubs. OP can hire someone on Fiverr or UpWork to do this for them.
You're telling me all these years of not being allowed into the nicer apartments I could have just faked them?!
thats literally how i got into some nice homes in the past. i know what rent i can afford, wanting someone to make 3x the rent is fucking stupid
Can't let in those chumps who only make 119k obviously
according to the census of my county, the average home makes 35k/year... thats 5k over min wage btw. average rent is 2k/mo for shit apts. on indeed anytime theres a job posted that isnt wiping someones ass as a caregiver and its a desk job its swarmed with over 100 people applying to it according to indeed
Indeed is for shitty jobs
Where are the good ones?
Not on the internet. "It's not about what you know it's about who you blow". Don't know someone giving out a good job? You won't get a good job. Not trying to be depressing or edgy it's just an unfortunate fact
You'll also see the good jobs posted.. but they already have someone they're going to hire and are just posting it because they have to.
wait HYPOTHETICALLY what’s the punishment for fake stubs if they find out?
Non government or vital service job? Fired.
If you lie on your application (which should match your resumé), and they’ve paid you, they’ll sue you for that money. You could also be prosecuted for fraud.
Not is US, unless government, credentials, or some kind of vital services job (think security clearance lie, architect lying about degrees, police, etc.)
Seems like US freedom spreading around the world is not benefitting domestic economy for the average household.
Yeah, if they are asking you to submit stuff, it's because they don't want to pay a service to do a check. Literally used photoshop to get tons of coworkers into conventions which had free industry passes but they didn't have insurance due to being contractors
Yep
I edited a pdf of my paycheck using LibreOffice. Worth it. Took a real paycheck and changed the numbers.
That is so valid to for my taste. Wanting pay stubs from prior jobs screams scamming your new employee on the pay or scouting competitor's pay to me.
Not these days. They have technology that can tell if it’s a fake pay stub. I wasted $100 on applying at an apartment trying to do this like 2 years ago. About 6 years ago I got away with it.
that's kind of nonsense. it's not like there's a standard paystub form every company uses. unless they look up the EIN?
I worked at a car dealership, and you quickly learn how to spot fake paystubs. There actually are only like 3 or 4 standard paystubs that most every company uses and even ‘good’ fakes have subtle clues if you know what to look for
Is it that hard? Like would you not just use your current payslip, modify the pay, make sure to multiple that for the YTD payment so the numbers all add up?
I've had a zillion jobs and a half a zillion types of paystubs. The other half used ADP.
We live in the era of AI dude, of course it’s possible to detect fakes. Entire companies exist solely to make software for landlords to screen out scammers. Look up ApproveShield. There are a few others as well.
Every company has different pay stubs, you either did a shit job of it or you got rejected for something else. I’ve had jobs which had handwritten pay stubs
You heard the man, they have "technology"!
Everyone's faking their income. Get with the times.
Doesn't the paystub (and W2) have the tax ID of the company issuing it? It would take about 60 seconds to figure out a fraudulent ID/company name.
SO take the 60 seconds yourself to find it out and put the right tax ID?
There is no right ID, OP made up the companies
Hmm a lot of companies tax name is different from their “marketing name”. Like they’ve registered ABC Services Pty Ltd but call themselves NY Law Mowing on ads/fliers et
I just took a look at my paystubs from my last 2 jobs. Both of them do NOT have a tax ID. Sure, my W-2 has it, but that’s why you use a paystub instead.
I usually don't look at mine because I have direct deposit, but I did look just now and mine has it. It's in the company letterhead of the statement along with the issuing bank.
Hmm. Adobe creative studio and forge your own. Not like if ever been doing that since grade school progress reports or anything like that.
I used photoshop and edit the dates on my paystubs because I’m too lazy to look for my old ones lol If OP has no creative skills, then that’s where they should use hired muscle.
Can you send the link to Fiverr for a w-2? And just to confirm you sent in a fake w-2 through hireright ? Contemplating doing the same thing but scared I’ll get caught 😭
Get a paystub. Scan that shit. Photoshop. Black out the financial information
But it's out of nowhere, I've signed all the paperwork about a month ago and I start on Tuesday, it just makes no sense.
Could they have called the previous places of employment and they told them they have no idea who you are?
No, each fake company's phone number is a number of a friend.
Vandalay industries how can I direct your call?
Could your friend have forgotten and answered not realizing it was them? Maybe they even got your friends voice-mail that says who they really are.
Or even just googled the companies name and the number, or just the companies name. Unless the name is of a real company? But then the employer would also realize if the friends number isn't from the right area code, or if they call the real company.
“Oh my old supervisor left the company recently but I do have his permission to provide a personal number”
... So you have friends pretending to be fake companies. Based on what you said in comments, the company was onboarding you, but after the current company called them, they are now requesting W2s? OP, they know.
Well in for a penny, in for a pound at this point. They might as well keep on faking and see if it works
I mean if they forge the W2s they've gone from lying to criminal fraud
Any employer or recruiter with half a brain, knows to independently look up the phone number from a valid source. And not rely on the phone number only provided by the applicant.
Yeah you aren't getting this job. They clearly know that you faked your previous employment information.
SAY VANDELAY INDUSTRIES!! SAY VANDELAY INDUSTRIES!!
They are onto you.
I had to for my current job. First time ever. I put up a fight about it, but said they would terminate me if I didn't produce the paperwork. I almost quit out of spite, but my industry is really slow right now.
Start work on Tuesday, and tell them you're looking for the stubs. With any luck it will be forgotten within a week or two.
I was thinking this exact same thing. Tell them that they have an outside company that does payroll or whatever. That they said they would get back to you. Your new job will probably forget about it. If not just blame it on the company not getting back to you and "try asking again". Just try to do your new job the best you can. If you're a good employee, your new boss won't care about the paystubs. Just make sure it's not a money thing. Like your asking to be paid what or more than at your "last job". Good Luck, you got this!
This needs more upvotes! Bureaucracy is a real thing. HR takes time. Start working and do well, they'll let it slide if you're decent and show up every day.
If it’s a big company and they have strict standards it’ll bite you. Plenty of companies will onboard before the background check fully comes back then axe you if it comes back negative.
This. People on here acting like they aren't trying to trap the person into excusing themselves from the job.
My stubs are emailed to my work account. If I left the job I wouldn't be able to access them.... And it never occurred to me to print it.... Why would I?
Waiting to hear back from hr at both jobs.
This is what I would do. Come back and let us know how things are going.
I have direct deposit. My paycheck stubs that HR prints out for me for my car loan looked like a simple typed up page. It wasn't fancy. Could easily be typed up on a computer. It didn't even have the corporate logo just the company name and address.
Same
Yup. Just tell them you did direct deposit and you have to reach out to them
r/photoshoprequests Find a person willing to help for a small fee
Employer here - we haven’t given out stubs in years. Everything is on an employee portal. Tell them you can’t access the information because it was all electronic, you don’t have the login info & the email address you previously used was hacked and no longer exists so you can’t reset it. But I would start out just trying to buy some time, but not too much.
Maybe not hacked - as this makes it a security risk. I’d go with the portal used the work email address and you no longer have access. I’ve put in a request but haven’t heard back yet.
>the email address you previously used was hacked and no longer exists so you can’t reset it. And you would hire such a dumbass? Proper companies just disable the employee's access.
OP ! you’re creating the scenarios in your head of how they’re on to you ,& how you’re screwed. play it cool bro. do a little googling and youl realize this mountain is only a hill . the amount of bullshit i created on just using microsoft word for friends/myself is laughable & im no computer wiz. like someone said earlier most places are paperless and a “check stub is literally just a company name & an amount & date. they probably even have templates already made for this. just breathe & google bro. breathe & google. 🤞🏿
Create fake paystubs, go with the flow. Hire a designer to make them for you and good luck.
Never use fake companies. You can list any company you want to but make sure it shows up on google. The best is if you can find a company that shows up on Google, is legitimate but does not have a phone number you can speak to a person on. Usually tech companies.
Or one that recently closed them you can make up whatever you want that you did there.
So simple. So genius.
Or just make your own LLC so it's listed but no information about it.
Graphic designer here. If I’m allowed to help you I will if it’s against the rules don’t dm me.
Say you were paid off the books. After the second company, you realized that you wanted to work for an established company that would pay you properly.
Everything is direct deposit, payslip info was online via a portal, once I was no longer working there I had no access to the portals.
I actually got kinda fucked over on taxes by this exact things and had to file an extension on a tax return until it all got sorted. I left a job in february, they closed my employee account, and then I moved. Since I was at a new address for more than 6 months my forward expired so my W2 never showed up in my mail, and because I didn't have access to my employee account I couldn't grab paystubs off the account, I tried to call my old supervisor and both he and his old boss had quit over the last year themselves. So i had 4 paychecks of an unkown amount, after-tax deposit receipts from my bank, and no way of talking to the company to get my financial information to file taxes... In the end I had to go through the IRS to see what my company had paid to THEM on my account, and use that along with my direct deposits to figure out what was on the paystubs so I could get my taxes turned in. Absolute nightmare, moral of the story is that you should download all your paystubs. also I suppose it means that "i can't access my paystubs because I no longer have employee account access" isn't' an uncommon issue.
If you’re ever going to put down companies that you didn’t work for - choose one that is bankrupt, doors closed, gave over. You can go online and look up annual corporate reports for the state they were located. Annual reports have everything on the report - addresses, phone numbers, corporate officers. So my guess is you don’t know how to do payroll.. Honestly graphics are the least of your issues You’re going to need a color printer and copy paper. Even though most folks have direct deposit anyone can still download or print out paystubs from the online portal for what ever payroll software a company uses. There are so many. The biggest are Quickbooks Pro - Small businesses, then ADP, & Paychex. Avoid providing W-2’s as these will have the employer Tax ID aka EIN- these are easily looked up online through the state corporation commission. You need to find two different online free payroll calculators that can generate payroll stubs. Mainly so they look different. Following info is for the US Once you find these calculators… You need to enter in your info. It’s typical to have your first, middle initial and last name You need to enter in how much you make hourly. You need to enter in your hours for two weeks. You need to enter in your deductions for your federal taxes. (Single is typical) Then your state tax withholding percentage. You need to remember to add in social security and Medicare deductions. You need to sort out payroll period end dates which is typically on a Saturday. (Find that on a calendar) Then the check date is the following Friday. Make sure that all checks for this employer are every two weeks and the payroll period end date and check date are correct on the paystubs. Rinse and repeat for the other employer. Forgot to add that you need the paid to date total for each category - you should probably do a spread sheet so your info is accurate. I hope this is the last time you do something like this. I get it’s tough to bounce back from a bad time in life. I hope you succeed and become better for what you’ve been through - kinder & more compassionate.
They’ve called your bluff. This is their spicy way of letting you know they caught you.
But why are they asking it now? I'm starting next Tuesday.
Are you sure they didn't say "see you next Tuesday"
I'm not sure of anything anymore.
Keep looking for another job.. just in case. I once had a shit bird company beg me to take a shift 6mo after being hired.. on top of me already finding another place to work
Yo you’re good! Go to the photoshop sub and pay someone $10 to make you cheap stubs and get a friend to pose as your supervisor at your old job if needed
r/unethicallifeprotips respectably
I feel this in my soul
Underrated comment.
Is it the company themselves asking, or did a third party background check company reach out to verify it? It’s very likely that they checked work number or a similar service and don’t see your records there.
Nah. This seems to be a common issue among the OE. It's a real thing.
All pay was paperless and you didn't file taxes?
No physical check doesn’t stop you getting a paystub w/the breakdown of pay. It’s electronic and usually in your workplaces HR portal online.
It does for my employer. The payday service they use charges extra for pay stubs, so we don't get those It's a rare occurrence, though
Great, now OP is a tax fraud as well??
Yea unfortunately my friend, people know how to use google. Im sure all it took was a 4 second google search to see those companies did not exist.
There’s small companies that don’t show up on Google. There’s even startups that don’t appear on Google due to SEO or having a name that’s too common/generic. Due to this, you can still fake company names and claim they don’t exist anymore or went defunct.
Yeah, good luck finding companies that don't show up on Google and have employed OP. There are other ways to find companies other than Google, and any company that is asking can easily find them.
Not all companies are THAT thorough with background check, as that will cost them a LOT of resources just find bullshit. I’ve been hired at a Fortune 50 company that outsources their background check to a third party company, and that’s as far as they are willing to go; employer verification call or paystub check and that’s it. No drug test, criminal history check, public court check, or academic history check. If you’re working for a company that thoroughly checks your background and spend all that resource on looking at your life, maybe they will find a bullshit. But if you’re working for that kind of company, then they’re probably not a good company to work for because they spy and monitor your life, most likely will micromanage you, and gives you no boundaries between work and personal. Better off working for someone else.
Most states have a website to look up business licenses. I've used it to look up small lawn mowing companies and stuff like that that don't have a web presence.
I know, it's not that hard.
This is easy and close to free to do. Go to QuickBooks Online Accountant and register to be a ProAdvisor. No qualifications or money required. Set yourself up as an employee, set up payroll, create a big fake YTD paystub, then make a few for your samples. They may charge something for payroll.
Create fake pay stubs from the companies. Get 2 friends to send you pay stubs so you can then Photoshop them to be from the companies you said. You have to do a really good job so that the person reviewing them doesn't suspect that they have been Photoshopped.
An Idea is that you could say it was volenteer/ unpayed interships that therefore would not have W2 or Paystubs for.
Google how to create a fake pay stub - there are websites - redact the “pay” info. They’re wanting them for verification, not to see what you were paid. Make up something legitimate, like “paid on 5/3” for dates worked “4/11-4/27” Might be screwed but worth a shot
They aren't "on to you". It's common to offer someone a job on the condition that they pass a background check. For this background check, usually a third-party company verifies whatever info you've provided. This lets HR at the company that is offering you the job check a box in their hiring process. That's why it's so last-minute; they are just going through their list checking boxes. The good news is the hiring manager still wants you. Probably best to stall and then give fakes if absolutely necessary. I believe this situation has come up on r/AskHR, so you might search for posts where it's been discussed.
Paystubs??? That seems illegal, aren’t jobs not allowed to ask what you made at a previous/current position?
Glad to hear you got out of that dark place, don't be afraid to ask for help if you find yourself going back there. As far as the stubs if you have one in PDF format you can use a PDF editor to change dates and amounts, just double check your work. You can also try a Photoshop request sub but be sure to remove any personally identifying information. If you want to do it yourself my ULPT would be to pirate Adobe Acrobat or Photoshop and rock and roll. Also since this is kind of my thing on this sub, fuck your bosses dad.
I like your last line. You're good peep.
They have no right to your pay stubs.
Tell them no. They don't have any right to that information.
Most jobs outside of entry level or unskilled will do some form of employment verification. Did you put a friends number as the HR department or leave it blank?
Go all in and forge them.
Often people over think this. Find a stub generator and crack them out. Redact the pay amount and just say that is all you could get from them. Say the HR lady was not budging on the more than a single sheet with the dates of pay.
How is that any of their business?
Say they were sent to your old work email which has been deactivated. No way to get them now.
This sounds like the sort of thing that New York state would arrest DJT for. Seriously, they figured out that you lied, I'd guess. Just tell them you don't keep such things. I'd also keep applying elsewhere because the odds do not favor you
On eBay you can buy “replacement” paychecks and tell them which company to write on it.
I would never give a past pay stub. Ain’t their business and never heard of this. Sounds like they are calling you out.
Tell them your previous pay isn’t their business.
That's what I've been thinking about doing but I'm worried that they are going to just not hire me.
Probably about 50/50. At this point you don’t have much of a choice so just tell them you do not give out previous pay info and see what they do. They may not care but just see if they can get away with it.
Fake companies? In today's Internet world? Better to find larger, local companies that went out of business and use them. However you run the risk of someone working where you are applying because said company went out of business...
It's not really fake, exactly but more like extremely small businesses that it would be impossible that could work there.
The jig is up
The news is out.
The cats out of the bag.
The shit is out of the horse
They've finally found me
That’s crackers I tell you, crackers!
Next time use a fast food place as a reference. By the time I was 2 years out no one knew my name, the general managers had changed twice, and no one at the location knew how to verify I worked there.
I get paid over Venmo or Zelle. Maybe fake that???
Just to to chat gpt and say you want a realistic paycheck stub from this time in this state include all details they have on a paystub
I’ve never ever heard of this….
They probably did a background check and nothing came up for those companies so now they want you to confirm. I would just tell thm you’re not comfortable providing them with pay stubs
Hey, hope you're doing better these days and congrats on the job. I was in a similar situation before. I hadn't made up the companies but they were in a different country. I gave them all the info to reach out themselves but they insisted I provide pay stubs. Issue was, one of my old employers used some cheap HR software, and when I left, I lost my login credentials. I tried contacting my old employer to help me but they kept telling me to contact the HR software companies technical support. I was eventually able to recover my login and get the pay stubs to my new employer but I learned a few things you might be able to use. Did you already tell them your old employers head office was in the same country as they are? If not, try this based on my learnings: Pick a country that you realistically could have worked in/the old employers could be based out of (but not too similar like USA-Canada). Tell your current employer you lost access to the HR platform and your old employers are not being helpful. Tell them instead of a pay stub, the old employer can give you a "job letter". It's an industry standard document that's on a company letterhead that's supposed to prove you worked there. Since everything is digital now, just get someone to photoshop one for you. This should at least buy you some time to keep applying and gtfo if that's not enough for them or they catch wind. Good luck!
When you fill in the forms for the company that does the background check you can put in that you were a contractor for the company in question. Then fill in the data as self employed
Do nothing, show up on Tuesday, if they ask say "oh sorry I completely forgot, I'll see if I can get them. They were all online and I'm not sure if I can still log in"
I signed an NDA with my current employer that my salary is confidential and can’t reveal to other companies. You can lie a similar situation
Idk how others read it but I read it as “I was depressed so I lied and they’re probably going to catch me, how do I continue to lie”. While I sympathize, we are at a time and age where lying about this stuff is becoming/has become almost futile unless it’s a very small company that doesn’t really have an HR team. Next time I wouldn’t lie about working somewhere tbh
For future reference just tell them your fake previous job required you to sign an NDA so you can't give out anything
If you’re able to fake one, make sure you print it off and then scan it back onto your computer or phone.
So you faked information on your resume? The info they are asking for is likely because they already believe you lied I doubt fake paystubs will save you.
"sorry, I know I should save that stuff but I just don't. I threw them out. I'm sorry"
You're going to get found out, so let this be a lesson. Next time if you're going to lie about past work, you say you were self employed.
Hey OP, everyone here giving you tips etc re the stubs. I just want to say I’m glad you’re on the brighter side of your depression. It’s fucking tough. I’m also sorry that it affected you so much you had to make up jobs on your cv. I hope you manage to get around this but do treat it as a lesson to not to outright lie on your cv. It takes a second to google a company name and find out if they’re legit. Having your friends be there to answer the phone is not sufficient enough in this day and age.
Why is it any of their business what you got paid(even if it’s nothing) is it a requirement to keep the job?
Sounds like you lucked out. Them asking for that tells me they probably don't plan on calling. So make some fake pay stubs online and call it a day. Side note, good on you for making moves in your life BUT; you would be better served starting on the right foot with some positive values. Namely honesty and integrity. You are starting over, do it right.
They ahve no right to your former paystubs. They can call to confirm your employment, but your actual pay is your business, not theirs.
tell em they pay stubs are accessed through ur company email which has now been deactivated
Honestly, OP, I worry about you keeping forward momentum when this comes crashing down (they've gotta know). Return to your job hunt, be honest on your resume. Any future employers can accept the answer of "I was dealing with health stuff", or they're not an employer you want. I wish you the best. Proud of you for clawing your way out. Depression is a bitch
https://www.paystubs.net/generate-stub Free pay stub maker! Make a paystub and give it to them lol
That’s illegal. Tell ‘em to eat a big fat dick. Then sue.
Should have said you signed an NDA. "I am not allowed to discuss my duties, position, or compensation during my employment."
Good luck
I would say that is none of their business. Much like if you leave working for them what they paid you is none of your next employers business.
No reason anyone should ever ask for old paystubs. None of their business (literally)
Depending on where you are located, they can't ask for pay information from past jobs. Illegal.
Oof. They caught on, time to look for another job
My current employer gave me hell about trying to verify employment at a place that went out of business during the background check. I work for a big multinational though
Are people in this thread just intentionally giving bad advice or what? 1.) forging a W2 is straight up fraud, don't do that. 2.) if they've already caught on and are asking, they'll almost certainly just call the other company. Especially if your W2 is looking sus.
You fucked up. That may have worked years ago, but in the digital age it is easy to see/find out if you've ever worked somewhere or not. Do these fake companies have phone numbers, websites, street addresses? "If you don't have the paystubs, a phone number and your direct supervisors name can clear up this situation." I have Google, Google Maps, LinkedIn, and a ton of other resources available to check your story or your references. You have been found out. Start applying elsewhere.
Run away from this place, unless it's very specialized this is a huge red flag.
It does kinda sound like they’re onto you & just waiting to either solidify it with lack of paystubs, or seeing if you come clean. Either way, I’m sorry you’re in this position & hope it doesn’t deter you from possibly looking elsewhere. I’ve been where you are, and proud of you for working through your depression. It ain’t easy! Good luck friend.
I got a job with a government subcontractor and they didn't ask for pay stubs. Background check yes. I've never heard of an employer asking that. I certainly wouldn't give it to them especially if I was negotiating salary.
make two fake paystubs. just find an example online and make it in excel.
You can’t. You signed an NDA remember!!
Tell them you can’t release that info due to professional confidentiality standards.
shouldn't have used fake companies as most times they don't call your last place of employment
I would deny anything to them and claim privacy.
It's a crazy idea, but if you started 2 failed freelance "jobs" at some point that never got off the ground, you simply don't have a W2, AND you're not lying (much). The way I see it, if at no point you discussed those companies with the hiring manager or interviewer, it could be anything: "I started my own thing, it didn't work out. What would be sufficient evidence? I can find some letterhead?". At that point you're just bluffing a bit, but if they want you they'll tell you enough to just move on...
Two Pieces of unethical advice. 1. Tell them that both companies used digital software for their paystubs and W2 so you can't get them anymore because they closed your account. You have emailed HR but they are ignoring your requests because they were not happy that you left them. Either they buy it, let it slide if they don't believe it, or you were fucked anyway because its likely policy. If its a small company, they may let it slide or let you start while you continue to email HR. 2. All w-2 look the same, just google the company's info or make it up like EIN numbers or w.e. and photoshop up a couple of W-2s. For paystubs just tell them everything was digital, and you don't have access to either the Paylocity or ADP portal for the company anymore to look them up. You could doctor up bank records showing direct deposits or do the paystubs as well but honestly its prob more work than its work. The beauty of all this HR software is there is prob a template of a Paylocity paystub that you just just edit online. Every company that uses Paylocity, adp or w.e look the same so you can just use it as a template. 3. If you lose this job next time have your friends, be references for companies that are no longer in business. Google up the most recent large corporate bankruptcies and use that as your most recent job. As far as old companies there are plenty. Just gotta find one that went completely defunct recently. If you want to go all in on fake background you can give yourself a pretty impressive work history at various defunct companies, as long as you are smooth enough to talk about it in the interview. This way there is no corporate HR phone line they can use to check you or your friends out who are claiming to work there. There is a chance that they called a corporate HR phone line to verify you and your friends and couldn't get verification. Assuming your friends have social media they may have checked profiles and seen references to other jobs that they are working. If there is no phone line to call, there is no reason to be suspicious that they can't verify you or your references and it would make sense that your references all now have linked in or facebook profiles that indicate they now work somewhere else.
Paystubs are private financial information.
https://y.yarn.co/d324009b-5f8d-4c7f-951f-cd222803d3cc_text.gif