Job scams in the tech space are all the rage right now. A company called CrackedDevs has been accused of using the hiring process to get free labour from jobseekers, all using a so-called “take-home assignment”.
An unsolicited DM on X from CrackedDevs offered developers potential work, with one major condition. This was, they had to build an AI agent to scrape Instagram and YouTube data.
The deadline? 48 hours. And this was all that payment, with no questions allowed, and no support offered.
This wasn’t a simple task either.
Applicants were expected to collect non-public data, including follower counts, engagement stats, even demographic breakdown, likely requiring scraping that violates platform terms of service.
CrackedDevs responded after the X post gained traction, claiming it was a mistake. But they deleted their reply. And more people have since come forward on X with similar stories, suggesting that this crooked practice may not be a one-off.
As someone who teaches computer science and sees students in vulnerable positions looking for work all the time, to me, this serves as an important reminder about information we need to communicate to students. Not every opportunity is real. There are companies out there requesting at work from people they have no intention of ever hiring.
Right now, the risk to CS students and people genetic careers is particularly high. There’s a lot of competition for jobs and so the risk of exploitation is real, this is all clearly unethical. These companies and assignments don’t just waste time, they undermined trust in the entire hiring process.
Whether a job is advertised or sent to you directly, please take a close look. Ask if the proposed recruitment process is transparent and fair, and examine if this is likely to be a reputable employer if not, it’s likely not worth your time.
Thomas Lancaster
@DrLancaster_1
Computer Science academic. Technology and generative AI enthusiast. Known for research into academic integrity and contract cheating.