Is sending fake resumes deception? Economists generally frown on deception. For example, the journal Experimental Economics does not publish papers which use deception. However, I know that famous economics studies have been published where people send fake resumes to employers (to detect racial discrimination). For example, Bertrand and Mullainathan (2004). 

Does this mean that sending fake resumes is not deception?
Fake resumes are a form of deception in a manner of speaking, but the purpose of the deception is to reveal obfuscated bias in hiring practices. Not all journals take such a hard-line stance on this type of deception and as such papers can still be published.

For a more robust discussion on the main dimensions that determine the judgment of deception, I recommend Krawczyk (2013).