New Delhi, Oct. 15 -- For years, corporate India treated its contingent workforce like digital walk-ins-brought in quickly to plug project gaps, handed access cards and system credentials, and spared the gruelling background checks reserved for full-time staff. That backdoor, however, is now firmly shut.

As candidate impersonation and credential forgery reached record levels, a staggering 93% of Indian employers have now begun vetting contract and freelance workers before they clock in for Day 1, according to a cross-market research report commissioned by global screening firm HireRight and conducted by YouGov.

The development reflects a major tightening of enterprise governance, driven by a surge in candidate impersonation, credentials...