KCKimchi Canary

Printable hiring kit

Receipts first. Access later.

A short desk checklist for HR, security, founders, and vendor managers screening remote technical hires in crypto and Web3.

Before interview

  • Verify identity, work authorization, school, and prior employment through independently sourced contacts.
  • Require the candidate to explain their work setup, normal work hours, payroll/KYC route, and equipment delivery path.
  • Flag reused resume text, repeated portfolios, duplicated profile photos, or shared payout details across applicants.

Before laptop ships

  • Ship only to the address reconciled with verified identity records.
  • Do not ship to a vendor, friend, hotel, mailbox, or last-minute alternate address without escalation.
  • Keep MDM, EDR, logging, remote-access controls, and asset inventory ready before the device leaves.

Before code access

  • Grant least privilege. Delay production, wallet, CI/CD, secrets, and signing-key access.
  • Block unapproved VPN, proxy, KVM, remote desktop, and remote-control software.
  • Watch for repository cloning, unusual off-hours access, and account logins from impossible locations.

Crypto payroll reality

  • USDC or crypto payroll is normal in Web3; it is not a fraud signal by itself.
  • Treat payment risk as contextual: mismatched KYC, third-party accounts, exchange pressure, tumbling requests, or inconsistent wallet ownership.
  • Match payout accounts to the verified worker and preserve payroll/KYC records.

If risk appears

  • Pause access expansion and preserve logs, interview records, documents, shipping records, and payout records.
  • Ask neutral claim-specific questions. Avoid nationality tests or humiliating prompts.
  • Escalate to legal, compliance, security, vendor owners, and relevant reporting channels when evidence supports it.

The canary rule

  • One odd detail is a thread. Several independent conflicts are a rope.
  • If the story needs a stranger's laptop, a borrowed identity, and a magic VPN, the bird is coughing.
  • No witch hunts. Receipts or it stays private.