LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. LinkedIn is a social media platform geared to professionals. It enables you to network and builds your professional portfolio, but several scams have appeared over the years.
Table of Contents
- Fake Member Invitation Scam
- Fake Request for Your Personal Information
- Invitation from Scammer
- Scam LinkedIn Message
It is used by anyone from professionals who have been in the workforce for a very long time or freshly graduated people looking to find a job.
Here are a few common LinkedIn scams and tips for protecting yourself and your personal information from scammers on LinkedIn.
Fake Member Invitation Scam
One of the most common LinkedIn scams is a fake email inviting you to connect with another LinkedIn member. The email will look similar to an authentic LinkedIn email and might even contain the LinkedIn logo. It may ask you to click on a link to “visit your inbox now” or ask you to “accept” or “ignore” the invitation.
Unfortunately, it is a phishing email. If you click any of these links, you will be redirected to an unsafe website that will download malicious software or viruses onto your computer.
Fake Request for Your Personal Information
The scammers will email you pretending to be part of the LinkedIn admin team. They will request your personal information like your password or any other personal data that could help them access your account later. The email could also say your LinkedIn account is blocked due to inactivity and click a link to activate it.
However, scammers’ ploy to get your personal information and enter any information on the site in the email could make you a target for identity theft and financial theft. This is also a type of phishing scam.
Invitation from Scammer
The scammer creates fake profiles and adds people to the LinkedIn site in this scam. Don’t add anyone you have never met or heard about to stay protected from this scam. Always check out the profiles of the person who has sent you an invite before you accept it. If something doesn’t look right or there is too little information, don’t add them.
Scam LinkedIn Message
This is similar to a LinkedIn email scam, but the message is typically sent on the LinkedIn website. Don’t click on any links that don’t look familiar.
To spot scams on LinkedIn or any other social media, it is essential to remain vigilant and know that many scammers are around. Learn to spot fake emails and not click on links not from the LinkedIn domain. Sometimes the scammers make the emails look very authentic. To know if it is a phishing mail, look at the address from which the email was sent. Delete the email immediately if it is not from an authentic LinkedIn site but some other domain. Please don’t click on any link directly; instead, hover your cursor over it to see the hyperlink’s address. If it is not an authentic LinkedIn page, know it is a scam.
To stay safe, avoid logging onto your LinkedIn page from any emails and instead open the LinkedIn website on your browser and use it from there. If the email were genuine, you would have it appear there too.
Remember that any email asking for personal information beyond your email address is spam. If you ever forget the password for your LinkedIn account, you will receive an email asking you to enter only your email address and nothing more. Next, you’ll receive a link to reset your password. Also, remember that LinkedIn is unlikely to ask you to open attachments or install any software, so such emails are fraud emails.
Similarly, if the email has terrible grammar and spelling errors, it is likely a scam. Another thing to note is that authentic LinkedIn emails have the security footer at the bottom of every email that says, “This email was intended for YOUR NAME (CURRENT JOB, COMPANY).” The presence of the footer is not a guarantee the email is not from a scammer, but if you do not see it, you should not click on any links.
Some other steps you can take if you have already clicked on any of the spam emails are to report it to phishing@linkedin.com and to delete it from your account. Run your computer’s antivirus, anti-malware and spyware software to prevent attacks. If you have entered banking details on the scammer’s page, contact your bank immediately to change your password.
Photo: Absalom Robinson
