A lot of head hunters will dangle job offers that don’t exist just so they can get info on the company you’re working at - basically they’re trying to keep tab on who’s in charge of hiring, so they can contact them.

There are also those who are paid by your boss just to see if any of their team members is looking to take off.

I don’t think there is anything new here though. These practice have existed for a while, and there’s not much you can do about it.