That's a bit dishonest -- the scepticism is direct at the results, not the process itself.

I routinely distrust the gushing claims by paid TV advertising actors about how the Magic Bullet changed their entire life. That hardly implies I think the product is trash, but the alleged results are obviously designed sucker less discerning consumers.

And the general answer your question is yes, as far as I'm aware, employers routinely seek references to back up the claims made by potential hires.