I applied for a React Frontend Developer role at a real company (not naming them yet). Received a response from someone in HR, asking me to complete a Google Forms questionnaire.
Pages 1-3 were normal — name, email, availability, experience questions. Page 4 suddenly asks me to download and install a VPN client using temporary login credentials to "access internal training and process documentation" before the interview. The instructions say to log into OpenVPN Cloud Connexa, download the client, approve any security prompts, and then access a documentation portal through the VPN.
I haven't clicked anything or downloaded anything. A few things that seem off:
- No company asks candidates to install a VPN before even having a phone interview
- The HR person who emailed me appears to no longer work at the company, based on LinkedIn/ZoomInfo
- The links in the form go to domains unrelated to the company's actual website
- They specifically say "approve any security prompts from your operating system."
Is this a known scam pattern? Has anyone seen something similar?