Security career & “CTF” scams

Red flags

• Pay upfront for “guaranteed bug bounty income” or “certification”
• Telegram / Discord “mentorship” selling stolen courseware
• Requests to run unknown binaries on your personal machine “for assessment”
• “Black hat” services or DDoS for hire — illegal; walk away
• Fake HR with @gmail.com offering “remote SOC” with no company domain

Safer path

1. Practice on README.md platforms only.
2. Bug bounty: create account on official platform; read scope.
3. Internships: company careers site or oss-programs stay-safe.