In the last few years there has been a 60 percent rise in people caught making false claims on job applications. Lying on a CV is a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 10 years. Recently, students have been jailed for around 6 months for 'white lies' such as bumping up grades or fake references. The following are a few big shots whose decade old lies came to surface and ruined their careers.
Marilee Jones (didn't have 3 degrees)
A 28 year old lie broke down Jones' career. She was the director of admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1997 to 2007 until it was exposed that she lied about having three degrees (ironic!) She in fact only attended college for a year and left without gaining a bachelors or masters. After this became public she was forced to quit.
Scott Thompson (didn't have two degrees)
The former CEO of Yahoo! claimed to have two degrees from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, yet it was later brought to light that he only had one. Yahoo! turned to his old job at eBay to check his educational statements to see if they matched up. He was hired in January 2012 and forced to resign just four months later.
David Tovar (didn't even have a degree)
It was supposed to be a pre-promotion background check, but instead this check exposed Tovar's CV lies. Tovar was a top spokesperson for Wal-Mart, but was forced to resign over a twenty year resume lie. He claimed to have a degree from the University of Delaware but he never actually finished the course.
Liv Løberg (isn't actually a nurse)
Løberg held top admin jobs in health care and public sectors as well as previously being an MP for the Progress party in Norway. However, in 2010 the top bureaucrat was found to have forged her credentials, lying about being a registered nurse and having two degrees. In 2012, she was sentenced to 14 months in prison and fined 1 million NOK of unentitled wages.
Robert Ivring (wasn't the big shot he claimed to be)
British chef Irving was fired from his own show in 2008 when an embarrassing CV lie surfaced. He claimed to have designed Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake, when in actual fact he only helped choose the fruit to decorate it... You clearly can't have your cake and eat it!
Lying just isn't worth it. It may help you get to the top but the constant fear of being found out will haunt your career, and eventually it may bring it tumbling down. 
