The tech job market is booming—but with that boom comes a dark side that’s getting harder to ignore: fake job scams.

What used to be easy to spot—typos, shady emails, and zero company presence—has evolved into something much more sophisticated. Today’s scammers are building polished websites, posing as legit companies, and offering eye-watering salaries to lure in skilled developers and engineers. They’re mirroring what a real hiring process looks like, sometimes even scheduling multiple interviews, sending NDAs, and setting up fake recruiters on LinkedIn.

One common tactic? The “technical test.” A candidate is asked to run a piece of code from a GitHub repo or open an unfamiliar link, all under the guise of assessing their skills. But behind the scenes, that code might be designed to access your files, capture keystrokes, or—if you’re in Web3—drain digital wallets within seconds.

The wild part? These scams aren’t just targeting junior developers or jobseekers in a rush. They’re going after experienced professionals with targeted attacks that feel personal, professional, and real. It’s social engineering meets recruitment fraud.

So what can you do to stay safe?

1. Trust your gut, but verify with your brain

If something feels off, pause. Ask questions. Real companies won’t flinch if you request to run tests in a sandbox or ask to share your screen instead of executing code locally.

2. Do your own recon

Before engaging, search for the company outside of the job ad. Look at who works there, what the actual careers page looks like, and whether the role is even posted on their site.

3. Stay skeptical of dream offers

We all want to believe in that $200K remote role with unlimited PTO and zero red tape—but if it sounds too good to be true, there’s probably a catch.

4. Protect your digital footprint

Avoid using your main devices or wallets when engaging in early stages of hiring processes—especially in high-risk domains like crypto or fintech.

5. Talk about it

The more we share stories about these tactics, the harder it becomes for scammers to succeed. Silence helps them thrive; conversation shuts them down.