LinkedIn Scams: A Whole New Level of Hacking

LinkedIn has become notorious for networking, career development, and job seeking, helping millions all around the world potentially secure their dream job. The Social networking platform looks to alleviate the most difficult tasks when looking for a job, making it easy for all job seekers to stay on top of their job search. Searching for that perfect job can be stressful as some consider it to be a full time job in itself. It requires patience, which at times can become difficult if the perfect opportunity doesn’t come right away. Filling out endless job applications, talking to recruiters and just flat out cold calling are just some of the things potential candidates do in order to try and land an interview. College grads or long time tenured employees will also continuously update their LinkedIn profiles in hopes of coming across an even better opportunity.

Unfortunately, because of this intense process and the amount of activity spent on LinkedIn and everything else that comes with looking for that perfect opportunity, it leaves the jobless more inclined to falling for a scam. LinkedIn has become such an attractive target for many malicious actors who are looking to impersonate and trick LinkedIn users into revealing sensitive information or sharing access to all of their connections. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a newcomer to the platform, LinkedIn scammers are coming for everyone.

Types of LinkedIn Scams

Social media scams are nothing new, but it might come to a surprise that even professional social networking platforms like LinkedIn deal with all types of scams. Many consider LinkedIn to be a safe place and tend to let their guard down, which gives the malicious actors an even better advantage when trying to steal your information. LinkedIn has continued to gain immense popularity over the past few years as many have considered it to be a goldmine when looking for a new career. Unfortunately, online frauds have taken advantage of the social networking platform leaving many users distraught when falling for a scam. The number of fake profiles on LinkedIn have become an increasing problem. At first glance a lot of these fake profiles actually appear believable. With professional images, legitimate company listings, convincing descriptions and realistic credentials many fall for the idea that the person on the other end isn’t a scammer. The malicious actors that are behind these accounts tend to try and establish a meaningful connection with you through either direct messaging or connection requests. The last thing anyone wants, especially when looking for a job, is to come across an online scam. Here are five different scams that appear on LinkedIn and what you should watch out for.

• Phishing scams
• Catfishing & Romance scams
• Crypto & Investment scams
• Employment scams
• Connection Request scams

How to Spot a LinkedIn Scam

LinkedIn is known for its professional networking and job opportunities. However, it’s not immune to online scams. Scammers exploit the platform’s social nature to deceive users. Understanding common LinkedIn scams is crucial for staying vigilant. Here are four different things you can look out for when questioning if this job offer is actually real.

1. Avoid Offers That Seem Too Good to Be True
2. If someone contacts you with a job offer that seems to good to be true, it probably is. Scammers know that many job seekers are eager to land that perfect opportunity. Looking for the right salary, good benefits and a flexible schedule are something all job seekers have in common. Scammers tend to put an emphasis on all three of those things in order to distract you so you can apply quickly and potentially hand over sensitive information.
3. Don’t Open Links or Download Software
4. This should be a no brainer, but people do still tend to fall for it time and time again leaving the success rate of this pretty high. Unless you know the person, who sent you the link, don’t click or open it, as it likely is a malicious link. If you do end up clicking the link and it asks you to fill out any information don’t! Also be sure not to download anything from people you don’t know.
5. Don’t Pay Anyone
6. You should never have to pay to apply for any type of job whether it’s in-state or out-of-state. If someone is asking for some type of payment it is most likely a scammer. Also think to yourself, why would you pay someone to work for them?
7. Avoid Offers with Bad Grammar or Spelling
8. Another warning sign that you should look for if you are considering this job offer to be a scam is bad spelling and grammar. A legit offer from a real company is going to look professional which means no spelling or grammar errors. Scammers tend to make these mistakes because they usually don’t speak English as their first language.

How to Stay Safe on LinkedIn

Scammers use various methods to trick users into giving up their personal or financial information. To avoid becoming a victim of LinkedIn scams, you need to be aware of the common signs and strategies of scammers, such as fake profiles, phishing emails, and fraudulent job offers. Anyone who is on LinkedIn can fall victim to a scam regardless of the information we have at hand. You need to take the right precautions in order to protect your online privacy and security, such as verifying contacts, reporting suspicious activity, and using cybersecurity tools. By following these tips, you can enjoy the benefits of LinkedIn without compromising your safety. Remember, the best defense for protecting yourself against any type of LinkedIn attack is knowledge. Make sure you educate yourself on how scammers are making people fall for different types of scams on LinkedIn. If you liked this blog, make sure you stay tuned in for our future blogs were we will take an even deeper dive into LinkedIn scams.