The platform showed my balance growing. Doesn't that mean it is paying?

No. The balance on the screen is a number the scammer controls. It grows to build trust and pull in bigger deposits. When you try to withdraw, you are told to deposit more to unlock it. The displayed earnings are not real money.

Is it safe to just connect my wallet to see the work?

No. Connecting or approving a wallet can grant a malicious contract permission to move your funds out. Never connect a wallet to start a job, and never approve transactions you do not fully understand.

They say it is a real web3 company. How do I check?

Find the company yourself, confirm the role on its official careers page, and remember that no legitimate employer requires you to deposit crypto to begin. The deposit requirement alone is enough to walk away.

Is this crypto or web3 job a scam?

Crypto adds a new coat of paint to an old scam. The promise is a flexible web3 job. The mechanism is getting your money or your wallet.

The rule

A real job pays you. It does not ask you to buy cryptocurrency, fund or connect a wallet, or deposit coins to "activate" your tasks or unlock your pay. If starting the work requires you to put your own crypto in first, it is a scam, whatever the title says.

How the scam works

Two versions are common. In the task version, you complete simple jobs and watch a balance grow, then are told to deposit crypto to withdraw it, the same trap as a task scam. In the wallet version, you are asked to connect a wallet or install a "work" app, and the approval you grant lets a malicious contract drain your funds. The FBI and FTC both track crypto-linked job fraud, and the FTC lists it on its job scams page.

What it looks like

An upbeat message about remote web3 work, high daily pay, and a quick start. You are steered to a slick app or site, shown early "earnings," and then asked to deposit to keep going or to cash out.

What to do right now

Do not deposit crypto, connect a wallet, or install the app.
If you connected a wallet, move your funds to a new wallet and revoke approvals.
Keep screenshots and links as evidence.
Report it to the FBI's IC3 and the FTC.

This is the crypto job scam, close to the download-an-app pattern. The complete guide covers the rest. Unsure about an offer? Paste it into the free checker.