| Sorry very poor advice to have someone pretend and check reference, when they figure that out, normally by asking for a formal letter faxed or sent on company letter head with a written permission to release the info.
Normally they always figure it out, and will often stop giving out any, or make a note of this activity, which will hurt you more.
If checked properly, they don't call the person you put down often, they call HR or the main manager and/or often merely fax a form to be filled out |