Crypto options exchange Deribit has issued a scam alert, cautioning against fake recruiters using LinkedIn to target job seekers.
Cryptocurrency exchange Deribit has raised concerns about a growing scam in which fraudsters impersonate recruiters to deceive job seekers, particularly targeting developers and senior professionals in the crypto industry.
In an X post on March 19, Deribit’s chief information security officer Anthony Sweeney revealed that the company has seen “a surge in scammers posing as recruiters claiming to work for Deribit.” He noted that such fraud tactics often appear in crypto first before spreading elsewhere.
⚠️ Scam Alert from Anthony Sweeney, CISO at Deribit
In recent weeks, we’ve noticed a surge in scammers posing as recruiters claiming to work for Deribit (and likely other well-known firms soon). The crypto industry often pioneers the latest fraud tactics, and this scam is no… pic.twitter.com/BHxGxhn2nS
— Deribit (@DeribitOfficial) March 19, 2025
According to Deribit, scammers create fake LinkedIn profiles, pretending to be talent scouts for the company. They post ads for high-paying jobs and reach out to candidates privately. Once they establish contact, they use different tactics to steal from the victims.
Deribit describes several tactics used in the scam, including requests for candidates to complete an “online assessment” that installs malware. In other cases, scammers offer fake jobs with “exclusive pre-hire perks” like discounted company shares, only to steal the victim’s money.
Some even arrange in-person meetings for a supposed contract signing, instructing candidates to “bring along your work laptop,” a step that could indicate an attempt to access sensitive company data.
The exchange advised job seekers to stay cautious, suggesting they check recruiters’ profiles and verify job offers through official company channels. In January, global cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike identified a phishing campaign exploiting its recruitment emails to distribute a malicious Monero mining software.
The Austin-headquartered firm explained that the scam uses fake job offers to trick people into downloading an application that installs the XMRig miner on their system. CrowdStrike says the phishing emails impersonate its recruitment process, luring victims to a fake website. There, they are asked to download an “employee CRM application,” which is actually a downloader for the cryptominer.
