Avoid LinkedIn Scams

LinkedIn is a great tool, and one which has fundamentally changed the way people network, sell, recruit, and look for jobs. But, with almost 450 million members sharing personal and professional details, there is, inevitably, a certain amount of fraud. If you have more than a few hundred LinkedIn connections, you have probably gotten a request from a bogus profile. There have been reports of various scams on LinkedIn, from phishing to cons trying to get you to send money.

Many LinkedIn scams start with an invitation to connect. Although it is good to have a wide personal network, you should be selective and do some due diligence. When you receive a connection invitation, look for the following:

• Does the user have a photo? Most legitimate LI users have profile photos.
• Do you have any connections in common?
• Are you in any common groups?
• Is the profile complete?
• Does the photo look like it is stock photography or a model?
• Is the user located within your country?
• How many connections does the user have? If they have a few hundred, there’s a higher likelihood that they are legitimate.

If you have any doubt at all as to the veracity of the profile, decline the invitation and report it to LinkedIn. You should also be aware of the following tactics which criminals use on LinkedIn:

• Offers of paying jobs for which you’ve never interviewed or to which you’ve not applied, usually work from home jobs.
• Emails that appear to come from LinkedIn, but are not directly from the site.
• Requests to send money to claim a winning or inheritance.
• Phishing—a scam that gets you to divulge your username and password so that the criminal may gain access to your private information.

If you encounter any of these, you should report them to LinkedIn immediately. LinkedIn is a great tool, but you need to be smart about using it, and that means that sometimes you should be skeptical. Check your privacy settings, be sure that the people with whom you’re connecting are real professionals, and above all, do not send anyone any money or divulge your login credentials. Many smart, savvy people have fallen victim to these criminals. Take the steps necessary to protect yourself.