SCAMS on LinkedIn!!!

Due to the digital trust that LinkedIn has managed to build and the filtered community of LinkedIn, most of us think that everyone using LinkedIn is professional and is therefore not as guarded as people we see on other social media platforms. Today I got to know that there are so many bad people here and it hurts so much to imagine how they can scam people who are unaware of this.

The most used social engineering method is fake female accounts!

Please be aware of fake profiles. Fake profiles can be created by pretending to be senior people in well-known companies, by posing as someone you know, or by claiming to know someone you know. Once they become part of your network, they can easily become part of your friend's network (Inheritance scam). They might ask you to introduce your friends to them. They can either send you fake job offers, malicious links that install viruses and malware, or send you phishing emails (ex: you're using a link to an external website to fill in a job application and you're being asked to enter your LinkedIn password to continue to a site or service using Linkedin).

These can be easily spotted if you're smart enough.

But the question is are you smart enough?

Here is how to be smart...

• Notice if the account has common names.
• Are they talking about easy money before the job description?
• Do you sense any unnecessary urgency?
• Are they gaslighting you when you ask questions about their offers?
• Are they requesting personally identifiable information?
• Do they have a header photo? Try reverse image searching their display pictures!
• Check their connections.
• Check their company.
• Check the endorsements given to them, and by whom.
• Check their work experience.
• Check their activities (ex: check if there are any comments claiming to know this person in real life)
• Checking their skill sets. Does the skill set match the job they're claiming to be pursuing?
• Spot spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
• Check if their profiles are complete or not.
• Are they very new to LinkedIn?

Never act immediately!

Double-check all the links and emails you're getting. Avoid easy money. You know you're walking into trouble when a person with 100 connections claims to have a big company and offers you a high-paying job. You know a person from Europe has a unique accent.

This is my personal opinion, but I really don't think your CV should contain your full address or your phone number. Mentioning the city and email is more than enough. These scammers can steal your identity and use it to scam another person by acting like you (Identity theft).

Avoid giving your personal information to them. Remember, LinkedIn is a professional site. When you come across flirtatious messages in your inbox, they can never be recruiters. If you think you have given any personal information or opened a malicious link, go ahead and change your passwords and run a antivirus software scan. If the information includes bank details, contact your bank and notify them.

I don't understand how can somebody seriously play with someone's struggle to survive?

If you happen to find one don't just block them, report them to LinkedIn. Cleanse this platform for a better future ??