Exactly. I'm almost uncomfortable thinking about how many of these things turn into really embarrassing live interviews.

"So, Ms. Jones, I've never heard of the Acme, Inc., perhaps you can tell me more about it?"

"Just call the toll-free number to talk to my supervisor!"

"I'd rather have you tell me about the company, what it does and the specifics of your role there."

"I'll be leaving now."

This doesn't help unless there is some kind of black list of applicants that companies can share and check for references. It would have notes like "Candidate X seems to have faked his references...". Otherwise, besides losing that particular job position, the candidate would just move on to the next one where they will be less rigorous about asking such questions.

But then of course, if the candidate actually knows their stuff, what does it matter if they could find someone to provide a fluffy reference? Most people can find such a reference. Why not just test the candidate, talk to them, take them to lunch, look at the portfolio of work, do a debug session, a white-board session with them and see what happens?

"They are a stealth-mode startup"