Correct, this is exactly what happens.
Stupid people in HR do stupid things.
Far be it from me to defend HR, but...
The people in HR are not stupid.
They do exactly what the boss wants.
The boss has, can, and will chew them out for wasting his/her precious time on any candidate who doesn't exactly match the job description.
It doesn't take many azz chewings to get that message across!