As of 2024, LinkedIn has over 1 billion users in 200 countries. These remarkable figures make it the largest professional networking platform in the world. With such an enormous membership base, LinkedIn is also rife with scammers looking to capitalise on the sheer numbers of people who share information about their careers and by default, their whereabouts and wherewithal. Cyber scammers are also aware that there is a certain degree of trust that LinkedIn users place in their professional network, making them more at-risk of being swindled.
Common LinkedIn Scams
LinkedIn Phishing Scams
Like phishing on any platform, LinkedIn phishing scams trick users through connection requests, direct messages or even fake job offers designed to steal personal information, login credentials or spread malware.
Another form of scam on LinkedIn is whaling. This is the targeting of the uppermost levels of companies, with CEOs or other executives and high-profile individuals in the scammers’ cross-hairs.
LinkedIn scammers know that many LinkedIn users, from little fish juniors to big fish seniors in companies, like to present with a sense of excellence and congeniality. With their profile as a kind of shopfront for their personal brand, active LinkedIn users coalesce around relevant industries and professions. Many LinkedIn users find it beneficial to engage on the platform through posts and comments, and this can foster a sense of trust and collegiality with other users.
Scammers on LinkedIn can be particularly artful at exploiting this trust and collegiality in LinkedIn communities, and mask themselves behind legitimate-sounding communications. Phishing and whaling scams can occur anytime on LinkedIn but tend to spike during periods of economic uncertainty.
Common LinkedIn Email Phishing Subject Lines
- You appeared in 6 searches this week
- Account suspended
- You have 1 new message
- LinkedIn profile security alert
- Your account will be terminated
LinkedIn Catfishing and Romance Scams
Considering LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, it may come as a surprise to some that catfishing and romance scams run rife on the platform. Using fake profiles catfishers and scammers operate with the goal of tricking and manipulating others emotionally and/or financially. The fake identities that many scammers on LinkedIn concoct often use stolen photos, and many even manage to generate a fake professional network full of unsuspecting users. They use these fake identities to lure in their targets with bogus professional opportunities that can be quite sophisticated and difficult to detect.
Romance scams on LinkedIn follow a similar pattern to catfishing but instead of trying to lure and hook the target into a non-existent professional exchange, the scammer uses the platform to form a pseudo-romantic bond with their victim. Targets of LinkedIn romance scammers will experience being flirted with and love-bombed through messages and online chats, Eventually, when the conditions are ripe, the scammer will ask for money, personal information or pictures.
Ultimately, catfishers and romance scammers on LinkedIn are exploiting the platform’s professional and collegial atmosphere, and more than that, they are exploiting users’ trust. LinkedIn’s networking features can lend a veneer of legitimacy to scammers, making their overtures appear trustworthy.
How Do LinkedIn Scams Work:
- Fake Profiles: Scammers use stolen photos and other users’ information.
- Connection Requests: Scammers send requests to LinkedIn users, often targeting those open to networking.
- Building Trust: Scammers initiate and maintain chats with their target, asking professional-sounding questions, building rapport, showing respect and interest in their target’s professional life.
- Introducing Romance: Often they transition to expressing romantic interest and affection, and the professional engagement turns to love-bombing.
- Soliciting money, personal information and/or explicit pictures: Once trust is gained, scammers ask for money, personal information, or other kinds of favours.
LinkedIn Cryptocurrency Investment Scams
LinkedIn cryptocurrency investment scams are run by grifters who impersonate cryptocurrency experts or companies and pitch fraudulent investment opportunities promising high returns.
Crypto scams on LinkedIn exploit the trust users have in the professional environment of LinkedIn just like in other types of scams. Scammers attempt to lure victims into investing in fake or non-existent cryptocurrency projects by sending private messages or making comments. Timing-wise, there is normally an uptick in crypto scams on LinkedIn during bull markets in the cryptocurrency industry when interest and investment in crypto are rising.
How to Avoid Investment Scams on LinkedIn:
- Research Thoroughly: Investigate any investment opportunity and the person or company offering it.
- Be Wary of Unsolicited Offers: Treat unsolicited messages or connection requests promoting investments with utmost caution.
- Watch for Red Flags: Avoid opportunities that promise high returns with little risk and don’t accept requests to invest through unfamiliar platforms.
- Verify Credentials: Ensure the individual or company promoting the investment is legitimately licensed and regulated.
- Trust Your Instincts: If something seems too good to be true it more than likely isn’t true. If you feel pressured to invest proceed with caution or seek professional advice.
Job Offer Scams on LinkedIn
LinkedIn job offer scams are aimed at luring users into providing personal information, financial details or even upfront payments while hidden behind the pretense of an employment opportunity. Scammers often create fake job listings using the names of credible companies to convey a sense of legitimacy.
When networking on LinkedIn, you may notice the same job advertisements pop up repeatedly, but connected with different companies. Sometimes they can be posted by legitimate recruitment consultants, but at other times scammers are using boilerplate job advertisements to flood the job classifieds and lure in unsuspecting applicants.
Quite commonly too, LinkedIn job offer scams use the promise of working remotely as a way of luring in victims.
As part of the grift, LinkedIn job scammers tend to request sensitive information from their victims, like Social Security or Tax File Numbers, bank account details, and their home address and phone numbers.
The extra sting that many job scammers attempt, is asking victims for payment, supposedly for training materials or equipment. These scams often target job seekers who are actively searching for employment opportunities on the platform. These LinkedIn users are therefore more at-risk due to their pressing need to find work.
How You Know if it’s a Genuine Job Offer or a Scam:
- Research the Company: Check their website, reviews and online presence to gain a sense of whether they are legitimate.
- Beware of Unrealistic Offers: Job offers that promise high salaries or benefits and seem too good to be true quite often are. Scammers often use tempting offers to lure their victims.
- Check for Red Flags: Watch for warning signs such as vague or formulaic job descriptions, job ads that are flooding the classifieds, misspellings, grammatical errors or requests for personal information upfront.
- Verify Contact Information: Try to match the contact information provided with the company’s official channels. Email domains can be spoofed, but paying close attention to the minutiae of the address is always a good idea. Beware of job offers that use generic email addresses or phone numbers.
- Do Not Give the ‘Employer’ Any Money: If a so-called prospective employer asks for payment from candidates, ostensibly for training, materials or any other expenses, do not believe them. If an employer is legitimate, they will not ask for payment from job candidates.
Tech Support Scams on LinkedIn
Another form of scam on LinkedIn is when scammers contact users pretending to be tech support staff.
Using emails or LinkedIn messages, these scammers pretend that there’s a problem with the user’s account. They might tell you they need your personal info such as login or other details, or demand payment from you for non-existent services. These scams prey on users’ trust in LinkedIn’s infrastructure and support system.
Legitimate Tech Support vs LinkedIn Tech Support Scammer
Legitimate Tech Support:
- Typically initiates contact with you through official channels, such as LinkedIn’s Help Centre or customer support email.
- Provides assistance and troubleshooting guidance tailored to a specific issue that you have raised.
- Does not request sensitive information such as passwords, financial details or pictures.
- Offers verifiable credentials
- May provide a ticket or reference number to track the support process
- Does not pressure you into making decisions
Fake Tech Support:
- Often initiates contact out of the blue, through unsolicited messages or emails claiming they are from LinkedIn support.
- Uses email addresses or profiles that are not affiliated with LinkedIn.
- Tries to create a sense of urgency and pressure, claiming your account is at risk and requires your immediate action.
- Requests sensitive information such as passwords, financial details or pictures.
- May contain overly inappropriate expression, spelling or grammatical errors, inconsistent formatting, or other signs pointing to a lack professionalism.
What to Do if You’ve Been Scammed on LinkedIn
If you have the misfortune of crossing paths with a scammer on LinkedIn, it’s vital that you report the profile. This will go a long way to protecting yourself and others. To report someone, you need to go to the scammer’s profile, access the report/block option, select an action (report Joe Bloggs or entire account) then select a reason. Taking these steps are inline with being a good online citizen; assisting platforms like LinkedIn in investigating and taking action against fraudulent accounts on the platform.
5 Steps to Report Someone on LinkedIn for Scams:
- Visit the Scammer’s Profile:
- Navigate to the profile of the person you want to report.
- Navigate to the profile of the person you want to report.
- Access the Report/Block Option:
- Click the “More” button located below the person’s profile picture.
- Click the “More” button located below the person’s profile picture.
- Select Report/Block:
- From the dropdown menu, select “Report/Block.”
- From the dropdown menu, select “Report/Block.”
- Choose the Appropriate Reason:
- Select “Report content on profile” or a similar option that matches your reason for reporting.
- Indicate that you are reporting a scam.
- Select “Report content on profile” or a similar option that matches your reason for reporting.
Summary
Scams on LinkedIn appear in many forms. Some of these include phishing through fake messages and job offers, catfishing and romance schemes with fake profiles, fraudulent cryptocurrency investment pitches, fake job offers requesting personal information or payments, and tech support scams impersonating LinkedIn staff. Scammers often use legitimate-looking connection requests and job offers to exploit users, gather personal information, demand money or distribute malware. To stay safe, users should always conduct thorough research, verify the credentials of those they are interacting with, be cautious of golden “opportunities”, and report suspicious activity without hesitation.
Contact Us
Have you been scammed on LinkedIn? Cybertrace is here to help. Don’t let scammers get away with it. Contact us and we may be able to help you.
This post was revised on 14 November 2024 for improved readability and accuracy.
