LinkedIn, a professional networking platform used by millions worldwide, can connect users with colleagues, clients, and potential employers. It can be a valuable tool for career development and business opportunities. However, it’s also a target for scammers seeking financial gain or personal information.

To protect oneself from scams, it’s important to be aware of common types and take steps to protect oneself.

Common Types of LinkedIn Scams

Scammers often use LinkedIn to exploit users for financial gain or personal information. Two common types of scams include:


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Job Offer Scams

As the social network most popular with recruiters and job-seekers, it’s not surprising that LinkedIn experiences its fair share of employment-based scams. One common tactic among scammers is the fake job offer, using fake profiles linked to legitimate companies but with no intention of paying their targets.

These scammers may ask you to perform tasks as part of an onboarding process without any intention of paying you. They may also target freelancers, offering competitive pay that seems too good to be true. However, their ultimate goal is to disappear without paying you and move on to their next victim.

Some scammers may not even wait for the job to begin, instead focusing on stealing personal information such as contact details, social security numbers, or even copies of identity documents like a passport or driver’s license for identity fraud.

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Investment Scams

Scammers create fake profiles and send messages offering investment opportunities to users. They may request that the victim invest money in a fake company or project or ask for personal information, such as bank account information, to participate in the investment. Once the victim provides the information or invests money, the scammer disappears and the victim is left with stolen personal information or without their investment.

The Recruitment Scams

The recruitment scam, also known as the “classic” scam, operates similarly to fake job postings. A supposed recruiter will reach out with a seemingly competitive job offer, but with no intention of actually paying you. These scammers aim for short-term gains and may try to convince you to pay for application processing, training, or equipment. Once you make a payment, communication with the recruiter will cease.

This scam is not limited to LinkedIn, as it can also be found on other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, through email or SMS, and even in paper form on bulletin boards or posters. When encountering any unsolicited job offers, particularly those for “work from home” opportunities, it’s important to be suspicious and verify the legitimacy of the offer before providing any personal or financial information.

Warning Signs

To protect oneself from scams, it’s important to be aware of telltale signs.

  • If the user receives an unsolicited message offering a job or investment opportunity, be cautious.
  • If the user is asked to provide personal information or pay a fee to secure a job or participate in an investment, it may be a scam.
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Protecting Yourself

In order to protect oneself from scams on LinkedIn, users should take the following precautions:

  • Be cautious of unexpected or unusual job or investment offers and verify the legitimacy of any opportunity before providing personal information or investing money.
  • Do not provide personal information, such as a resume or bank account information, to unknown users.
  • Be wary of any requests to pay a fee in order to secure a job or participate in an investment.
  • Use the LinkedIn security center to report any suspicious activity or messages.
  • Consider enabling two-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access to your account.

By being aware of the telltale signs and taking precautions, users can protect themselves from the financial and personal consequences of LinkedIn scams. It’s important to be cautious of unexpected or unusual offers and to verify the legitimacy of any job or investment before providing personal information or investing money.

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FAQ

LinkedIn scams are fraudulent activities that target users of the professional networking platform LinkedIn. These scams may involve offering fake job or investment opportunities, requesting personal information or payment, or attempting to access user accounts for nefarious purposes.

LinkedIn scams may involve creating fake profiles and sending messages to users offering job or investment opportunities. These scams may request that the victim provide personal information, such as a resume or bank account information, or may ask the victim to pay a fee to secure the job or participate in the investment. Once the victim provides the requested information or pays the fee, the scammer disappears and the victim is left without a job or with stolen personal information.

Some common examples of LinkedIn scams include:

  • Job offer scams: These scams involve scammers creating fake profiles and sending messages offering job opportunities to users. These scams may request that the victim provide personal information or pay a fee to secure the job.
  • Investment scams: These scams involve scammers creating fake profiles and sending messages offering investment opportunities to users. These scams may request that the victim invest money in a fake company or project, or may ask the victim to provide personal information in order to participate in the investment.

There are several warning signs that LinkedIn users should be aware of when it comes to scams on the platform. Some red flags to watch out for include:

  • Receiving an unsolicited message offering a job or investment opportunity.
  • Being asked to provide personal information, such as a resume or bank account information, or to pay a fee in order to secure a job or participate in an investment.
  • Encountering typos, poor grammar, or other errors in messages or profiles that may indicate a fake account.

To protect yourself from LinkedIn scams, consider taking the following precautions:

  • Be cautious of any unexpected or unusual job or investment offers, and verify the legitimacy of any opportunity before providing personal information or investing money.
  • Do not provide personal information, such as a resume or bank account information, to unknown users.
  • Be wary of any requests to pay a fee in order to secure a job or participate in an investment.
  • Use the LinkedIn security center to report any suspicious activity or messages.
  • Enable two-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access to your account.

If you suspect that you have received a LinkedIn scam, it’s important to take immediate action to protect yourself and your personal information. Consider the following steps:

  • Do not provide any personal information or pay any fees.
  • Report the scam to LinkedIn using the security center.
  • Report the scam to the authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
  • Change any passwords or login information that may have been compromised.

While it is not possible to completely prevent LinkedIn scams, users can take steps to protect themselves from falling victim to these scams. By being aware of the warning signs and taking precautions, such as verifying the legitimacy of job or investment offers and not providing personal information to unknown users, users can greatly reduce their risk of being scammed on LinkedIn.

Attention: Consumers who have been contacted by scammers could have had their personal information breached. TotalScam!™ highly recommends that consumers whose information has been breached obtain an identity theft protection service immediately.

There are several companies that offer identity theft protection in the US. One of the most inexpensive options we were able to find is the protection offered by LifeLock. You can start your protection here.

Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are not endorsed by LifeLock. TotalScam!™ receives compensation from LifeLock. This helps support our scam prevention efforts.