Fake Profiles on LinkedIn
This is the story of a poor profile that was likely abandoned without a proper password and later hijacked.
Oh? She's is no longer listed? Just days ago I took these screen shots knowing this would occur.
But How Did I Know?
You might not be aware, but a good way to test fakes on LinkedIn is to check their profile info. If you check the More button there's an option to reveal additional details that can indicate authenticity. Let's see what we have.
She joined in 2016! Well that's a while back, right?
She's updated her contacts and photo within a year, well, who hasn't?
This information suggests she's a legitimate member and conveniently offers ME a way to verify that I am as well. A bit ironic, but ok. [Here's an article on what that is https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/bot-battle-advertiser-dollars-truanon-mhine]
Signs of Hijacking
Hijacking can create the illusion of a long lasting depth of legitimate content.
Accounts with weak passwords are often abandoned. You might notice the profile has erased all posts. But what is the give away that I use for 100% accuracy?
领英推荐
This person wanted to communicate via WhatsApp —
When you receive this type of message, report it, block the sender, and delete the message.
Why?
This communication software has several serious suspicious aspects.
A WhatsApp scammer can hijack a victim's account and access messages using a call forwarding trick. This scam involves sending a one-time password (OTP) verification code via voice call, utilizing a mobile carrier's service to forward calls to another number. The reliance on carriers itself is suspect.
Scammers, by taking over your mobile phone number, can impersonate you, intercept security protocols sent to your phone, and access your financial and social media accounts.
WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption is under suspicion of having decryptable keys possibly used by governments and others for data gathering, though unproven. The platform's unusually fraudulent attraction remains significant suspicion supporting these concerns.
Spammers are increasingly exploiting WhatsApp to distribute spam, advertising products, services, or attempting scams for personal information or money. Despite advertising encryption, WhatsApp still collects user data, including contact details, device info, and location data. This is valuable data harvesting as sold on the dark market.
Scammers cleverly avoid detection by online phone number lookups, email searches, or "people finders" like BeenVerified or Social Catfish, sometimes even masquerading as these services in "recovery scams" to steal personal information.
In Short?
The fastest way to recognize a fake on LinkedIn is their insistence on using a suspicious communication platform offsite, or outside the control of LinkedIn. Rely on the site you met and trusted to connect you with other good people and avoid those trying to insist you download and install apps to communicate. It's suspicious for a reason.
Beware.
Executive Director | Trust, Risk & Reputation | Partnering with Platforms to Build Trust and Mitigate Risk
1 年You mean all these random people who try to connect with me because they “got attracted from my profile” aren’t real? My poor self-esteem /s There are ways to get verified on here (I did), but they’re opt in and I don’t think really make an impact on how you show up to people. Unless I have some cool check mark I don’t know about
Chief Strategy Officer at Packhelp | Marketplace, Retail & Digital experience | Entrepreneurial spirit
1 年If those fake/bot profiles are not stopped LinkedIn might be the next Twitter :(
Brain Benefit Movement (BBM) | Improving Executive Function Through Science Based Practices - Mindfulness through Movement | Adaptive Stress Regulation that Improves Emotional Regulation and Cognition Function
1 年Our future, will be probably filled with entities that don't exist that have know us since birth...and know us better than we do ourselves. I think we need to be ready for this.
?? Protecting Data and Mitigating Information Security and Privacy Risks | All My Words Are Human-Generated | The views expressed represent my personal opinion and don't represent the position of EY | Don't Sell Me Stuff
1 年Red flags (I usually look for several to be present at once to determine a scam profile): (Very) recent profile Low number of connections Contacts you seemingly at random with some generic flattery and a request to "be friends" Asks for out-of-band contact info - most frequently WhatsApp Education not matching career path Studied internationally, worked in a different country than studied in Generic "About" section full of self-improvement drivel Works in dubious professions e.g. Fashion Industry Executive The way their picture "feels" doesn't match their stated profession 99% of the time an attractive (and very likely AI-generated) female in the picture Name / language / location do not align well
The Data Diva | Data Privacy & Emerging Technologies Advisor | Technologist | Keynote Speaker | Helping Companies Make Data Privacy and Business Advantage | Advisor | Futurist | #1 Data Privacy Podcast Host | Polymath
1 年Jesse Tayler these are great tips. Most of these fakes have either a few recent posts or none at all in the last 90 days.