Deribit, a cryptocurrency options exchange, has issued a warning about a scam involving fraudulent recruiters targeting job seekers on LinkedIn.
The exchange is sounding the alarm on a rising scam in which con artists impersonate recruiters to trick individuals looking for jobs, specifically focusing on developers and experienced professionals in the cryptocurrency sector.
In a post on X dated March 19, the company’s chief information security officer, Anthony Sweeney, disclosed that there has been “an increase in scammers posing as recruiters claiming to represent Deribit.” He remarked that these deceptive tactics often emerge in the crypto space before spreading to other industries.
Deribit reports that these scammers create fraudulent LinkedIn profiles, pretending to be talent acquisition specialists for the firm. They advertise lucrative job openings and reach out to potential candidates individually. Once in contact, they employ various methods to defraud the victims.
Among the techniques outlined by Deribit are requests for candidates to participate in an “online assessment” that may install malware on their devices. In some instances, scammers extend fake job offers with “exclusive pre-hire benefits,” such as discounted shares, during which they effectively rob the victims.
There are even cases where scammers arrange face-to-face meetings for alleged contract signings, advising candidates to “bring your work laptop,” a move that may be indicative of attempts to access confidential company information.
The exchange urges job seekers to exercise caution by verifying recruiters’ profiles and confirming job offers through official corporate channels. Earlier this year, a global cybersecurity firm pointed out a phishing operation that exploited its recruitment emails to spread malicious Monero mining software.
This firm explained that the scam involved fake job postings designed to trick individuals into downloading an app that secretly installs the XMRig miner on their devices. According to their report, counterfeit recruitment messages enticed victims to a fraudulent website, where they were prompted to download a so-called “employee CRM application,” which was really a downloader for the cryptominer.