Give Me Your Code

I can understand that potential employers -or even clients- would like to have a look at what you have done in the past, beyond what is a visible presentation or application interface. Although in the past I haven't been asked for anything else than my portfolio and live URLS, I am willing to *show* some of my code (personal projects) during an interview, in case they need more convincing. However, during my current job search I have been asked to package and send real world samples (read: code I've wrote for my clients), without any guarantee that they would even call me.

"(...) just send us some code samples of work you have done for your previous clients or employers, and we'll determine if you are a good fit for the position".

There are several things wrong with this request. First of all, any work I perform on time paid for by a client is not mine to handle, even if I keep the source for future reference o requests by the client. I mean, if I was a hiring manager and some guys shows up with code samples that are confidential by definition, that'd be an instant red flag: how can you trust somebody that can easily do the same with the work you will be paying for?

Besides, I think during an interview you can really assess if somebody knows what he/she says to know. If a developer can describe in detail how something is done, showing pieces of code is kinda superfluous, don't you think?

To top it off, the message came from a not so corporate email account, which makes me think this is probably a scam of some sort.

So, I can't tell how *usual* are request of this kind, and am unsure of their legal implications. I'm pretty sure I only own the rights to what I've done on my own time, and that I could show (not send in a email) during an interview.