Facing a Background Check Dilemma: How to Handle a Disputed Document?

As part of my BGV verification, I have one document which was not provided by my institute where I was working, but I created it. This document is not correct; it may be wrong or forged as it was not provided by the institute. My experience is genuine, and I had verified it before from my other BGV in past companies. Now, this is presenting a problem as my institute is denying this document specifically. I am stuck in this situation, and I am not sure what may come of it. For my experience, I have submitted all the documents (Form 16, ITR details, salary slips, offer letter, etc.). Please help me with what I should do as I am a little afraid of what may befall me. Your suggestions and opinions will help me do the needful.

Although the document in question is forged, the work experience is real, and you have the supporting documents to substantiate it. Yet, the creation of a forged document is unpardonable; any organization will not like to recruit anyone with a forged certificate. How far it will damage you, only time can tell.

Forgery is a serious crime

'Forgery' is a crime that will not be excused by any organization, HR manager, or recruitment manager. When you have real experience, why the need to create a forged one? As pointed out by our learned member, only time can tell what the consequences shall be for your actions.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. It is not a forged document but a document that was provided temporarily as experience by my department. I had resigned there without completing the notice period, and hence I wasn’t provided with any formal experience letter. It has been more than 5 years, and the department head from that time is not there. The current head of the department may not verify it as he was not the issuing authority 5 years back, and the authenticity of that document is questionable. The head of the department from that time is also not available or traceable. I have all documents, including the certificate that I was working there, along with Form 16, ITR, Salary Slip, and Offer Letter. Should I go back to my institute, get the dues cleared, and resubmit the formal experience letter that they provide? Can’t the company take the offer letter and other documents I submitted as proof of my experience?

Thanks

Now the position is more clear. As long as the person who signed it has worked in your previous organization and has issued it, it is a genuine document. I apologize for presuming that it was a forged document. Along with the documents you mentioned, there is sufficient proof that any organization would rely on. You can rest assured there will not be any issues about it not being issued in a formal manner.

Dear Aj-S, honesty and reliability are important traits expected by an organization from its employees. You could have honestly stated that you were not given an experience certificate by that particular organization where you had worked for some time more than five years ago, as you have authentic documents substantiating your statement. Instead, you did something else under the impression you mentioned in your subsequent post. Admittedly, even as per your original post, your own statement "I have one document which was not provided by my institute where I was working but I have created it" indicates that you are the author of the document. Then it is a 'fake' or 'forged' document only. How will one believe that it is not a forged document as you mentioned in your last post? Here, it is not the debate over semantics that is important but only the motive behind the act.

Better hold on to the document based on the other documents available with you and try to convince the present employer accordingly. If you are otherwise an exceptional candidate, who knows, it may be viewed leniently as a hitch by the previous organization due to unhappy separation!

Thank you, everyone, Umakanthan. I do understand there is a communication gap. I should have communicated the same at the time of submitting documents. I am not sure how to proceed to solve the genuineness of this provisional document, or perhaps no one can. I got this letter as an assurance that I have some document as I was leaving the institute in a short period due to unforeseen circumstances. I had not submitted this document before, and there was no issue with BGV in my past employment, but I made a mistake in submitting it here.

What should be my course of action?

Should I first request the present HOD to confirm only the experience (not the experience letter's genuineness) and then approach my company HR to inform them about the experience letter being provisional? Should I suggest to them that I can get the original after completing my dues at the institute? Even if I get the original letters, HR may still hold me accountable for submitting the wrong document. However, I had also submitted other documents like Form 16 and passbook entries on their request when the registrar denied the genuineness of document verification to the BGV team. Can the BGV team not take the additional documents I submitted on their request and validate them on this basis? I am sure no one could get bank details (old passbook entries, not the e-copies), ITR, or Form 16 in 4 hours and send them.

Please excuse my questions as my thoughts are going haywire in trying to solve the situation I am in, with no one to help during this pandemic. I really appreciate the help I get.