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I've gone through this exact scenario, where the founder used this trick on me.

I've found these articles helpful for circumventing that exploit:

What trick are you talking about? iamleppert's scenario doesn't mention any trick used by a founder or recruiter.

Presumably tricked into taking equity (at an inflated valuation) over a larger salary?

I don't think so, because neither of the articles iamleppert linked to mention equity.