You’d probably need someone else to call on your behalf. If you have, how did it turn out?
Edit: There seems to be some confusion about what I’m asking. I’m not talking about fake references. I’m talking about calling your reference on the sly to see if they’re actually going to give you a positive review.
For example things don’t go well with your landlord and you suspect they’re going to depict you as bad tenant when you put them down as a reference while looking for a new place.
The same thing could be said for bosses and jobs.
You mean like a random person at your previous job? Why wouldn’t you get a reference from a coworker/manager/boss that you were friendly with during that employment? Lets be honest, if everyone at that place hated you & you have no one friendly there to give you references then you probably should avoid using anyone there as a reference.
It’s also possible I’m overthinking this, right now I work at a small business whose owner is very spiteful & always talking badly about people he dislikes (employees & otherwise). That would absolutely be the last person I would use for a professional reference if/when I leave the job, LOL. Luckily all my coworkers get along great so I’d have plenty of other references to use there.
No I’m talking about situations where you want to find out if someone is actually giving you a positive reference in situations where things might not have ended on the best terms.
For example someone quiting because they said they couldn’t work Wednesday and their boss calling them lazy.
You could get a friend to call posing as a potential employer to find out.