I think I was being deceived for a job or the job was fake to lure people to do their task

Hi, I’m Key from the SEA region. I’ve been searching for a remote Frontend Web Developer role for around six months now. I got one or two interview sessions, but still have no luck so far. I have sent email and joined job portal but still have no luck.

And about last night, while browsing jobs on LinkedIn, an individual sent me a direct message asking about my frontend skill set. I replied honestly, explaining that I could handle most of the requirements, except one or two areas. I checked his profile and noticed he had experience at a large UK company, although his account was not verified.

He then asked me to add him on Discord to continue the process. After I did, I was added to a group chat where I was given a trial task and told to compress the project once finished. I started the task at around 6 p.m. and worked through the night until 5 a.m. without sleeping, simply because I wanted to do my best and finish it properly.

While preparing to inform them that the task was done, I noticed that my Discord username had been used in the group name by adding a ‘fuck’ suffix. I was about to ask whether it would be acceptable to upload the project to my GitHub, but seeing that stopped me.

I asked why my username had been altered that way. The response was that it was a typo, claiming the letters were close on the keyboard. That explanation did not sit right with me. Regardless of how good the task was or the fact that I managed to complete a WebSocket-based project with some help from tools like GitHub Copilot and Claude Code, that kind of behaviour is something I cannot tolerate.

I asked again whether this was a serious process or simply a case of asking people to code and then disappearing. I was told they were “the company” and only wanted to see how candidates approached the trial task. However, the tone and responses did not reflect professionalism. The last message I clearly remember was: “If you don’t want to finish the task, feel free to leave this group chat.”

After that, I left the group. I never uploaded the project, and it still remains on my laptop.

At the moment, I feel empty and disappointed. I’m just a regular person trying to find remote work, like many others. After this experience, I can’t help but feel foolish for trusting the process and pushing myself so hard without clearer signals of respect or legitimacy.

I’m sharing this so others can be more careful. Please take your time to verify people, companies, and processes when job hunting, especially in remote settings. Your skills, time, and dignity are matter. Even when the search feels exhausting, you deserve to be treated with basic respect.