Crypto job scams
Crypto job scams are fake web3 job offers that aim to take your money, your crypto or your computer: the "recruiter" asks you to pay for training or equipment, to send crypto to unlock earnings, or to run code that steals wallet keys. A real employer never asks for any of these.
Web3 jobs themselves are legit: 2,401 are open on Jobs Web3 right now, at 210 companies from exchanges and payment firms to protocol teams. Scammers target the sector because candidates are used to remote hiring and often hold crypto, not because the jobs are fake; is web3 a good career covers the real risks.
The scams below are the ones documented by the FBI, the US Federal Trade Commission and security researchers.
What are the current crypto job scams?
Most crypto job scams today follow one of five patterns.
1. The fake coding test. A recruiter, often claiming to work for a crypto or AI company, contacts a developer on LinkedIn, Telegram or Slack. The interview includes a "take-home task": clone a repository and run it. The code installs malware that steals passwords, browser data and wallet keys. Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 first documented this campaign, which it calls Contagious Interview, in November 2023 and attributed it with moderate confidence to a North Korean state-sponsored group. Security researchers have since found hundreds of malicious packages published for the same purpose.
2. Pay to work, or task scams. The job is simple, such as rating products or "optimizing" an app, and the dashboard shows earnings growing. To unlock more work or withdraw, you have to deposit crypto first. The FBI warned about this scheme in June 2024: the payments go straight to the scammer and the earnings can never be withdrawn.
3. Pay for training or equipment. The offer looks real, but before you start you must buy a starter kit, a course, a certification or a laptop from a supplier they choose. Sometimes they send a check to cover it, which bounces after you have paid. The FTC's rule: honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job.
4. The wallet request. As part of a "test" or onboarding, you are asked to connect your wallet to a site, sign a transaction or share a seed phrase. No interview needs access to your funds.
5. The job abroad that is a trap. In May 2024 the FBI warned that fake crypto job ads lure people to scam compounds in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to run investment fraud. An offer that flies you abroad needs the company checks below before you book anything.
Warning signs
- You did not apply. The first contact is an unsolicited message on LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord or WhatsApp.
- The process skips steps. No interview with a named person, no references, an offer within days.
- You are asked to run something. A repository, a "meeting app", a browser extension or an installer, before you have met the team.
- The pay does not match the work. A high salary for simple tasks, or earnings you can see but cannot withdraw.
- The company is hard to verify. The domain does not match the company's site, or the people have no history outside the conversation.
A request to pay, connect your wallet or sign anything is reason enough to stop, whatever else looks right.
"I receive dozens of them a month, both crypto and general ones, almost all on LinkedIn and by email. Usually a few clicks and a search on the company and the person are enough to tell it is a scam. Look at the profile: is it well kept? Does it have a long history of posts, or dozens of posts in a short time? How many followers and connections does it have? Do its posts get engagement? Is the profile verified? Are its posts made only with AI?"
How to check if a job is real or fake
- Find the job on the company's own site. Real companies list open roles on their careers page or their applicant tracking system. If the role is not there, ask why.
- Check the person, not just the company. Look for the recruiter on the company's LinkedIn page, then confirm through the company's official channels.
- Run any test code in isolation. Use a separate machine or a disposable virtual environment, never the computer that holds your wallet or passwords. Better still, read the code before running it.
- Keep the wallet out of it. Use a fresh wallet with no funds for any test that genuinely needs one.
- Never pay. Not for equipment, training or a "refundable" deposit.
On Jobs Web3, Apply either takes your application here or opens the company's own application page, where you can check the domain before you share anything. No board vets every employer, ours included, so the checks above still apply. A board is more trustworthy when its listings show when they were posted and drop off when the role closes: the best web3 job boards are compared on that.
What to do if you have been scammed
- Stop paying. Scammers often come back with "fees" to release funds, or offers to recover them. Recovery offers are a second scam.
- Secure your accounts. If you ran code, assume the machine is compromised: move funds to a new wallet created on a clean device and change your passwords.
- Report it. In the US, to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) and the FTC. Elsewhere, to your national police or fraud agency. Report the profile to the platform where you met the "recruiter".
- Contact your payment provider. For bank transfers or cards, ask them to reverse the payment as soon as possible.
Are fake job offers illegal?
Using a fake job offer to take someone's money, crypto or data is fraud. In the US, the FBI and the FTC ask victims to report it; most countries have a police or fraud agency that takes these reports.
Are crypto job offers on Telegram real?
Some companies use Telegram, but an unsolicited job offer there is a common start of a scam. Confirm the role on the company's own website before you reply.
