Usually each situation is unique and people tend to analyze the situation by themselves and take the best course of action on a case by case basis: people are f

Usually each situation is unique and people tend to analyze the situation by themselves and take the best course of action on a case by case basis: people are free to judge if the recruiter represents a small company trying to juggle their single hire position or if they try to bait you in accepting a lower number by making the offer time-restricted. You don't do to your worst enemy things you do to your friend. It's your (and everyone's) choice to do otherwise if you prefer a simple and implicit option every time. But "morality is people’s privacy, whenever you use morality in an agreement to bind other people should do something, you first of all, is immoral, you’re just a sanctimonious hypocrite." (Linus Torvalds - http://www.netxt.com/an-interview-with-linus-torvalds-despising-moral-kidnapping-act-of-open-source/ http://www.netxt.com/an-interview-with-linus-torvalds-despis... )