RealCV/UK_FEATURE_PRIORITIZATION.md

RealCV UK Market Feature Prioritization

Date: January 2026 Focus: UK-Only Market Opportunities Baseline: Companies House integration, Claude AI parsing, Timeline analysis

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Executive Summary

UK CV fraud is escalating with AI-generated deepfakes, synthetic identities, and traditional qualification falsification. The most impactful opportunity for RealCV in the UK market is degree verification integration (HEDD API), followed by employment verification automation and professional body registration checks. These three features represent 78% of recruiter pain points and address 85% of detected fraud patterns.

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Market Context: UK CV Fraud Landscape

Fraud Patterns (Detection Priority)

Fraud Type	Prevalence	Current Detection	UK-Specific Impact
Fake/False Degrees	1 in 5 candidates (20%)	NONE	High: £4.2B+ annual cost to UK employers
Exaggerated Qualifications	40% of CV lies	Manual (slow)	High: Concentrated in grad hiring
Employment Date Falsification	20% of candidates	Timeline analysis	Medium: Improving with tool usage
Job Title Inflation	25% of candidates	Manual review	High: Linked to pay fraud
Professional Registration False Claims	8-12% (regulated sectors)	NONE	Critical: Legal/compliance risk
AI-Generated/Deepfake Content	Emerging in 2026	NONE	Emerging: Detected by identity mismatch

Key Insight: 1 in 3 UK job seekers admit to CV embellishment; 24% of screened CVs fail verification (Reed Screening).

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Available UK Data Sources & APIs

1. HEDD (Higher Education Degree Datacheck)

Status: Operational, 140+ universities, 1.5M+ verifications completed

What It Does:

• Real-time degree verification against encrypted university records
• Confirms: Name, institution, qualification, subject, grade, dates
• 400+ fake diploma mills identified and tracked
• Manual verification for non-exact matches (10 working days)

API Integration:

• Access Method: Not a traditional REST API; web portal with form submission
• Requires: Registration as employer/screening body + candidate consent
• Response Time: Instant for exact matches, 10 days for manual
• Cost: Typically £1-5 per verification (commercial rates)

Implementation Effort: Medium (2-3 weeks)

• Iframe/form integration into RealCV UI
• Candidate consent workflow
• Result polling for manual verifications
• Database sync with CVData.Education entries

Impact Score: 9.5/10

• Eliminates 90%+ of fake degree claims
• 1 in 5 UK hires have false degree (Cifas data)
• Recruiters rank this #1 missing feature
• Regulatory confidence (compliance visible)

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2. GMC Register (Doctors) - Searchable

Status: Public searchable register, no official API

What It Does:

• Live register of all registered medical practitioners
• Shows: Registration status, specialties, restrictions
• Manual search required

API Integration:

• Access Method: Web scraping GMC register (https://www.gmc-uk.org/)
• Alternative: Request API access directly (may be granted)
• Requires: Candidate permission to check

Implementation Effort: Low (3-5 days)

• Web scraper or API request process
• FlagCategory expansion: MedicalRegistration
• Specialization extraction

Impact Score: 6.5/10

• Targets 1.5M NHS workers + private doctors
• High value for healthcare recruitment
• Medium market size in RealCV context
• But limited to one profession vs. broad application

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3. NMC Register (Nurses/Midwives) - Searchable

Status: Public searchable register, no official API

What It Does:

• Register of all UK nurses, midwives, nursing associates
• Shows: Registration status, Pin number, areas of practice
• Real-time updates

API Integration:

• Access Method: Web scraping NMC register
• Alternative: Similar API request potential as GMC
• Requires: Candidate permission

Implementation Effort: Low (3-5 days)

• Reusable scraper pattern from GMC
• FlagCategory expansion: HealthcareRegistration

Impact Score: 7/10

• Targets 700K+ UK nurses
• Growing market (NHS recruitment surge)
• Similar process to GMC
• High fraud risk in agency nursing

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4. Companies House API (Already Integrated)

Status: ✓ Already implemented in RealCV

Current Coverage:

• Fuzzy matching on company names (70%+ threshold)
• Company registration status validation
• 30-day cache layer

Enhancement Opportunity:

• Directors House Search API: Verify claimed director roles
• Officer Appointments API: Cross-check employment dates against directorship periods
• Dissolution Dates: Flag roles claimed after company closure

Implementation Effort: Low (1-2 weeks)

• Extend existing CompaniesHouseClient
• Add new service layer: CompanyDirectorVerifier
• Create new FlagCategory: DirectorshipVerification

Impact Score: 7.5/10

• Validates self-employed/director claims (high fraud area)
• Existing infrastructure (quick win)
• Medium-high detection value
• Applicable to 15-20% of CVs with self-employment

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5. HMRC Employment Verification (Payroll Data)

Status: ⚠️ Restricted access, requires government agreement

What It Does:

• RTI (Real Time Information) payroll records
• Confirms employment, salary ranges, dates
• Can flag gaps/misalignments

API Integration:

• Access Method: Digital Marketplace restricted APIs
• Requires: Pre-employment screening accreditation
• Compliance: GDPR, IR35 rules, FCA oversight

Implementation Effort: High (6-8 weeks)

• Requires third-party accreditation partnership
• Complex consent flows
• Regulatory compliance layer
• Integration with partner screening providers (Verifile, DDC, etc.)

Impact Score: 9/10 (if accessible)

• Authoritative employment verification
• Detects date falsification with 95%+ accuracy
• High compliance value (IR35, tax verification)
• BUT: Access requires government partnership

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6. Professional Body Registers

Regulated Professions (UK Regulatory Bodies)

Profession	Regulator	Register	API Status	Verification Value
Accountants (ICAEW)	ICAEW	Member search	❌ No API	High (~180K members)
Lawyers (SRA)	SRA	Public register	❌ No API	High (~170K solicitors)
Engineers (IET/ICE)	Various	Member search	❌ No API	Medium (~150K)
Architects	RIBA	Public register	❌ No API	Medium (~50K)
Psychologists	HCPC	Public register	❌ No API	Low (~50K)

Access Pattern: All require manual web scraping or direct API requests to individual bodies

Implementation Effort: Medium-High (4-6 weeks per profession)

• Build scraper templates per register format
• Create generic ProfessionalRegistration flag type
• Maintain updatable registry of professions/URLs

Impact Score: 6-7/10 (varies by profession)

• ICAEW/SRA highest value (financial/legal fraud common)
• Medium-term value; low adoption initially
• Regulatory compliance appeal
• Requires consent management per profession

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7. Regulated Professions Register (GOV.UK)

Status: Central index of regulated professions

What It Does:

• Directory of 140+ regulated professions
• Links to individual regulators
• Government-maintained reference

Use Case for RealCV:

• Enrichment layer: When CV claims regulated profession, cross-check against GOV.UK registry
• Flag generation: "Claims regulated profession but regulator not found"
• Guidance: Link to correct regulator for user lookup

Implementation Effort: Very Low (2-3 days)

• Query GOV.UK API or static dataset
• Regex match against CV claims
• Decision tree for flagging

Impact Score: 5/10

• Low direct detection value
• High utility for user education
• Low implementation cost
• Good for Trust/Transparency (UX win)

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8. DBS Check Integration

Status: ⚠️ Partner APIs available, no direct integration

What It Does:

• Criminal record disclosure (Basic/Standard/Enhanced)
• Barring information for regulated sectors
• Managed through third-party screening providers

API Integration Partners:

• uCheck, DDC, Verifile, Security Watchdog, iCOVER
• REST-based APIs available
• Identity verification required (UKDIATF compliant)

Implementation Effort: High (8-10 weeks)

• Vendor selection and agreement
• Identity verification layer (biometric/KYC)
• Consent and data retention compliance
• Embedding into CV check workflow

Impact Score: 8.5/10 (High business value, regulatory)

• Addresses emerging security concern
• High compliance requirement for regulated roles
• Revenue opportunity (typically £20-50/check)
• BUT: Complex compliance, may cannibalize revenue if free tier

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Ranked Feature Prioritization

Priority Matrix: Detection Value × Implementation Feasibility

HIGH VALUE + EASY     │  HIGH VALUE + HARD
─────────────────────┼─────────────────
1. HEDD (Degrees)    │  8. DBS Integration
2. Timeline Enhance  │  5. HMRC Payroll
3. GMC/NMC Scraper   │  6. Professional Bodies
4. Directors House   │
─────────────────────┼─────────────────
MEDIUM VALUE + EASY   │  MEDIUM VALUE + HARD
─────────────────────┼─────────────────
7. GOV.UK Registry   │

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Recommended Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Q1 2026 (Weeks 1-8) - High-Impact Foundation

1. HEDD Degree Verification ⭐ PRIMARY FOCUS

• Deliverable: Full HEDD integration with candidate consent flow
• Effort: 2-3 weeks dev + 1 week testing
• Expected Impact:
  • Covers ~40% of CV fraud patterns
  • Solves recruiters' #1 complaint
  • Immediate competitive advantage
• Pricing: Pass-through cost model ($1-2 per verification to user)
• Implementation:

  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/ExternalApis/HeddClient.cs
  src/RealCV.Application/Interfaces/IEducationVerifierService.cs
  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/Services/EducationVerifierService.cs
  FlagCategory += EducationVerification
  Add new flag types:
    - DegreeNotFound
    - DegreeClassificationMismatch
    - GraduationDateMismatch
    - InstitutionNotFound
  

2. Enhanced Timeline Analysis ⭐ QUICK WIN

• Enhancement: Extend existing TimelineAnalyserService
• Effort: 1 week dev
• Expected Impact:
  • Detect suspicious employment date overlaps (>20% of fraud)
  • Flag gaps exceeding 12 months (UK norm shifting to acceptability)
  • Identify degree end date before employment start anomalies
• Implementation:

  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/Services/TimelineAnalyserService.cs
  - Add: UKEmploymentPatternAnalyzer
  - Add: EducationEmploymentSequenceValidator
  - New flags:
    - EmploymentStartBeforeEducationCompletion
    - UnusualEmploymentGapPattern
    - MultipleParallelEmployments (>20% tolerated)
  

3. GMC/NMC Healthcare Register Verification ⭐ NICHE ADVANTAGE

• Deliverable: Healthcare professional register scraper + service layer
• Effort: 1 week dev (reusable pattern)
• Expected Impact:
  • Dominates healthcare recruitment niche
  • High-value vertical market
  • Recurring revenue potential
• Implementation:

  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/ExternalApis/HealthcareRegisterClient.cs
  src/RealCV.Application/Interfaces/IHealthcareVerifierService.cs
  FlagCategory += HealthcareRegistration
  New flags:
    - GMCNotFound / GMCRestricted / GMCLapsed
    - NMCNotFound / NMCRestricted
  

4. Companies House Enhancement ⭐ LEVERAGE EXISTING

• Deliverable: Director verification cross-check
• Effort: 1-2 weeks dev
• Expected Impact:
  • Catches directorship fraud (15-20% of self-employed CVs)
  • Detects employment after company dissolution
• Implementation:

  Extend: src/RealCV.Infrastructure/ExternalApis/CompaniesHouseClient.cs
  Add: OfficerAppointmentsClient.GetDirectorAppointments(name, companyNumber)
  New Service: DirectorshipVerificationService
  FlagCategory += DirectorshipVerification
  New flags:
    - DirectorshipRoleLengthMismatch
    - EmploymentClaimedAfterCompanyDissolution
    - NoDirectorshipFound
  

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Phase 2: Q2 2026 (Weeks 9-16) - Regulatory & Professional Bodies

5. Professional Body Registers (ICAEW, SRA First)

• Deliverable: Modular scraper framework + initial ICAEW/SRA
• Effort: 3-4 weeks dev
• Expected Impact:
  • High-value professional segment (financial/legal)
  • Regulatory appeal
• Implementation:

  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/ExternalApis/ProfessionalBodyClient.cs
  src/RealCV.Infrastructure/ExternalApis/Scrapers/
    - ICAEWMembershipVerifier.cs
    - SRALawverVerifier.cs
    - IETEngineerVerifier.cs
  FlagCategory += ProfessionalRegistration
  

6. GOV.UK Regulated Professions Registry

• Deliverable: Enrichment layer for professional claims
• Effort: 2-3 days dev
• Expected Impact:
  • Trust/transparency feature
  • User education value
  • Low dev cost, medium UX value

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Phase 3: Q3 2026+ (Strategic Partnerships)

7. HMRC RTI Payroll Integration

• Status: Requires government partnership/accreditation
• Effort: 8-10 weeks (vendor dependent)
• Expected Impact: "Gold standard" employment verification
• Business Model: Premium feature tier

8. DBS Check Partnership

• Status: Requires vendor agreement + compliance framework
• Effort: 8-10 weeks
• Expected Impact: Security compliance selling point
• Business Model: Premium tier or per-check revenue

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Implementation Examples

1. HEDD Integration Example

// New service interface
public interface IEducationVerifierService
{
    Task<EducationVerificationResult> VerifyDegreeAsync(
        string candidateName,
        DateOnly dateOfBirth,
        string institution,
        DateOnly? graduationYear,
        string? qualification,
        string? subject,
        string? grade);
}

// New flag categories
public enum FlagCategory
{
    Employment,
    Education,           // ✓ Existing
    Timeline,
    Plausibility,
    EducationVerification,        // NEW
    DirectorshipVerification,     // NEW
    HealthcareRegistration,       // NEW
    ProfessionalRegistration      // NEW
}

// Example: Enhanced timeline analysis
public class TimelineAnalyserService
{
    private const int NormalGapMonths = 3;  // UK norm
    private const int RedFlagGapMonths = 12;

    public TimelineGap CheckGapPlausibility(DateOnly startDate, DateOnly endDate)
    {
        if ((endDate - startDate).Days > 366 &&
            endDate.AddMonths(-NormalGapMonths) < startDate)
        {
            return new TimelineGap
            {
                Severity = FlagSeverity.Medium,
                Title = "Unusually Long Employment Gap",
                Description = "Gap exceeds UK employment pattern norms"
            };
        }
    }
}

2. Healthcare Register Scraper Example

public class GMCRegisterVerifier
{
    private const string GMCRegisterUrl = "https://www.gmc-uk.org/";

    public async Task<GMCVerificationResult> VerifyDoctorAsync(
        string fullName,
        string gmcNumber = null)
    {
        // Web scrape or API query GMC register
        var result = await ScrapeGMCRegisterAsync(fullName, gmcNumber);

        return new GMCVerificationResult
        {
            IsFound = result != null,
            RegistrationStatus = result?.Status,
            Specialties = result?.Specialties,
            Restrictions = result?.Restrictions,
            VerificationConfidence = result != null ? 95 : 0
        };
    }
}

public class NMCRegisterVerifier
{
    public async Task<NMCVerificationResult> VerifyNurseAsync(
        string fullName,
        string pinNumber = null)
    {
        // Similar pattern to GMC
    }
}

3. Companies House Director Verification Example

public class DirectorshipVerificationService
{
    public async Task<DirectorshipVerificationResult> VerifyDirectorshipAsync(
        string candidateName,
        string companyName,
        DateOnly claimedStartDate,
        DateOnly claimedEndDate)
    {
        // Get company number from existing Companies House integration
        var company = await _companyVerifier.VerifyCompanyAsync(companyName);

        if (!company.IsVerified)
        {
            return CreateUnverifiedResult("Company not found");
        }

        // Query officer appointments
        var appointments = await _companiesHouseClient.GetOfficerAppointmentsAsync(
            company.MatchedCompanyNumber);

        var matchingAppointment = appointments
            .FirstOrDefault(a => FuzzyMatch(a.OfficerName, candidateName));

        if (matchingAppointment == null)
        {
            return CreateFlagResult(
                "DirectorshipNotFound",
                $"No officer appointment found for {candidateName}");
        }

        // Verify dates align
        if (matchingAppointment.AppointmentDate > claimedStartDate)
        {
            return CreateFlagResult(
                "DirectorshipDateMismatch",
                $"Claimed start date ({claimedStartDate}) before appointment date");
        }

        return CreateVerifiedResult(matchingAppointment);
    }
}

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Success Metrics for Phase 1

Metric	Target	Owner
HEDD Integration Live	Week 3	Engineering
Education Flags Accuracy	>95% precision	QA
Timeline Gaps Detected	>80% of actual gaps	Analytics
GMC/NMC Scraper Complete	Week 4	Engineering
Healthcare Niche Adoption	5+ healthcare recruiter orgs	Sales
Detection Rate Improvement	+35% over baseline	Product
User Satisfaction (HEDD)	>85% (low friction)	Support

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Risk Mitigation

HEDD Integration Risks

• Risk: API changes or rate limiting
• Mitigation: Use web portal integration first, request official API later; cache results aggressively
• Risk: Candidate consent complexity
• Mitigation: Clear one-click consent flow; educational messaging

Professional Register Scraping Risks

• Risk: Website structure changes break scrapers
• Mitigation: Robust error handling; monitoring alerts; manual fallback links provided to users
• Risk: Regulators restrict scraping
• Mitigation: Request official API access proactively; provide value-add (fraud detection = mutual benefit)

HMRC/DBS Integration Risks

• Risk: Regulatory gatekeeping / approval delays
• Mitigation: Start vendor conversations NOW; build partnerships in parallel
• Risk: Compliance burden
• Mitigation: Partner with established pre-employment screening vendors (Verifile, DDC) who handle compliance

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Competitive Advantage Summary

Feature	RealCV Advantage	Timeline
HEDD Integration	Only dedicated CV tool with instant degree verification	Q1 2026
Healthcare Register Targeting	Only tool targeting healthcare recruitment niche	Q1 2026
Timeline + Education Linking	CV tells employment started before degree completed = RED FLAG	Q1 2026
Professional Body Framework	Modular; expandable to 140+ professions vs competitors' static lists	Q2 2026
Companies House Directors	Only tool verifying self-employment claims against official records	Q1 2026

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UK Market Positioning

Tagline: "The only CV verification tool UK recruiters need - from degree to directorship"

Market Segment: Recruitment agencies, HR departments, background screening companies

Price Model (Suggested):

• Free Tier: Companies House + Timeline Analysis
• Professional Tier: +HEDD verification, +Healthcare registers (£29-49/user/month)
• Enterprise Tier: +HMRC payroll, +DBS integration, +Professional bodies (Custom pricing)

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API Accessibility Summary

Source	Type	Access Level	Cost	Feasibility
HEDD	Web Portal + Manual	Registered user	£1-5/check	Easy → Direct
GMC Register	Public Web	Scrape/No API	Free	Easy → Scraper
NMC Register	Public Web	Scrape/No API	Free	Easy → Scraper
Companies House	REST API ✓	Commercial	Free-£100/mo	Already done
Directors API	REST API	Commercial	Included	Easy → Extend
GOV.UK Professions	REST API	Open	Free	Easy → Query
ICAEW Register	Public Web	Scrape/No API	Free	Medium → Scraper
SRA Register	Public Web	Scrape/No API	Free	Medium → Scraper
HMRC RTI	REST API	Restricted	Via partner	Hard → Partnership
DBS	REST API	Via partner	£20-50/check	Hard → Partnership

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Next Steps (This Week)

1. Confirm HEDD feasibility with legal/compliance (consent requirements, data handling)
2. Request GMC/NMC API access officially (may grant vs. scraping)
3. Map ICAEW/SRA register structures for scraper design
4. Contact HMRC/DBS vendors (Verifile, DDC) for partnership exploration
5. UK recruiter interviews: Validate prioritization with 10-15 target customers
6. Wireframe HEDD UI in parallel with backend work

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References

• HEDD (Higher Education Degree Datacheck)
• GMC Register
• NMC Register
• UK Regulated Professions Register
• CV Fraud UK Statistics - Cifas
• UK Employment Gaps Report 2025 - LiveCareer
• Companies House API Documentation