Of the two I’ll pick wandering into the forest and dying of exposure.

Most companies use background check services nowadays. Sure, you could try to just invent a new persona, but HR will flag you when your name, SSN, DOB, etc come back as bogus.

There are even background check companies that specialize in corporate background checks. They’ll try to estimate or find things like how much you made at your previous/current job, so the company you’re applying for knows what they can offer you without it seeming like a lowball. If a company can spend $100 on a background check and save $10k per year on an employee salary, that’s an easy financial decision for the company.