Cybersecurity · 7 minutes
There are scammers on every single social media network out there and LinkedIn is no different. But the types of scams on LinkedIn are different from those on Facebook and Twitter. For example, on the Facebook marketplace, people might be scamming you by selling something that is absurdly overpriced or damaged. On LinkedIn, scams focus on a person's professional relationships and careers.
There are a number of different LinkedIn scams, ranging from fake job offers to straight-up phishing and fraudulent schemes. How many connections someone has is an acceptable indicator of whether they can be trustworthy or not, but sadly scammers can easily fake this number.
Let us go through some of the most common scams on LinkedIn.
People often use LinkedIn to get their foot in when searching for a job. Who would have thought that scammers will use such a platform to scam people who are looking for jobs? Sounds obvious, does it not?
There are a lot of unusual ways that scammers can use a fake job against you. They might simply be after your resume and your personal data. They might want you to send your financial details to them as well as other sensitive information. Set up a fake interview and require that you provide your Social Security number and bank details so that they can send you some payment.
In all honesty, there are a lot of ways that scammers can use a fake job against people. And we really do not want to give these scammers any new ideas, so let us move on.
Having connections on LinkedIn is like having authenticity. While connections do not matter as much as people think they do, they still have importance to a degree. If you have mutual connections with someone then you will be much more likely to trust that someone.
This is the same tactic that scammers use. They will create fake connections and they will grow their network by using you as the person whom others trust. Once they have a connection with you, they will reach out to your mutuals. Ultimately, creating an entire network of people while having no actual authenticity in real life.
People fall for phishing scams on all social media networks, but on LinkedIn, attackers take a different approach. Because they know people are already looking for jobs, they use this as an opportunity. Scammers post a link to a service that might just look like a LinkedIn login page. They might instruct potential victims to go to this link and apply for the job.
Someone not well versed with LinkedIn will easily fall victim to such a scam and give up their username and passwords, along with their email addresses.
The reason phishing scams are so common is that people reuse passwords all over the Internet. Your password for LinkedIn might actually be the same as your password for your bank account. Which is an incredibly stupid mistake to make. But what can we say? People do it all the time.
If you did not get what someone offered you, then odds are high that someone scammed you. Depending on how you fell victim to it, you need to take some actions and measures to protect yourself and your online security. For example, if you somehow ended up giving your password away to a scammer, then you need to change it right away.
But how do you actually know if someone is scamming you? Well, there are a few red flags that you should keep your eyes open for.
Scammers always rush people. Anyone with a legitimate business will try to answer all of your queries to the best of their abilities. Scammers do not have the time to do so. Because scammers are not interested in smart people. They want people to make rushed decisions and offer up whatever it is that they need, without asking questions.
One of the most famous tactics that scammers use is “limited time offers.” They try to bully you or pressure you into purchasing something. And they do so by invoking the fear of missing out in you.
If someone you have never contacted reaches out to you completely out of the blue, you will be well within your right to be a little suspicious. And if they are requesting any sensitive information from you, then you should think twice about the situation you have found yourself in.
Keep in mind that scammers also pose as other companies. Actually, they do it a lot more often than we might think. This is because it is easier to simply pose as another company instead of inventing a fake one.
No one from your bank, Facebook, or any other service in the entire world will ever contact you personally and ask for your password or PIN code. This is because none of these services store your password or PIN code in the first place. At least the good ones do not.
If you have received a call and someone is asking for your Social Security number, or your bank PIN code, to just verify that you are their customer, they are trying to scam you.
While it is possible to find out if someone is trying to scam you, there are a lot of things that you can do to avoid it in the first place. Preventing a dreadful thing from happening in the first place is a lot better than trying to fix it after it has happened. Let us go through some of the most helpful ways to avoid getting scammed.
Links come in all shapes and sizes. They can come from strangers, and they can come from people you already know. But if something looks too good to be true, it is. While these links mostly just stay on WhatsApp, they often do find their way onto LinkedIn as well.
If someone sends you a link with a caption to get a free gift card worth $50, It is a scam. Especially if the link wants you to send the message to other people as well.
Two-factor authentication makes your account more secure under all circumstances. Because not only does an attacker need to know your password, but they also need to have access to the device you are using for 2FA. Even if you stupidly give away your password, your accounts are safe.
You should still change your password though because odds are high that you used it in multiple places.
By using a single password everywhere, you are making the scammer’s job as easy as possible. They need your single password to access everything that you have to offer. It is an extra icing on top for them if you use that password for your email accounts as well. This is why scammers often want access to your email account. Because your email account can give them access to every other account that you have. All they need to do is press the forgot password button.
While you should be using a separate password for everything, you should also be keeping your email account more secure than anything else. Use two-factor authentication for your email and avoid giving the password to anyone else.
If you want to live your life on the edge and still want to click on those suspicious links, then we recommend you pick up a VPN service before doing so. Turbo VPN is one of the best options for you. With servers across the world, you can pose as anyone you like and scam the scammers. Pick up a fake email address while you are at it and see if you can actually send some viruses to the scammers. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of people doing exactly that and even they use a VPN service.
Turbo VPN lets you connect to their vast network of servers across the world. By doing so, you will be masking your real IP address and ensuring that the scammers can never find out where you are actually from. This way they will not be able to track your IP address back to you. And when you finish trolling the scammers, you can share your subscription service with your family. There are more tips for you to protect your online security.
Why would you share it with your family? Well, Turbo VPN lets you bypass Geo-restrictions on streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus. It also makes the online browsing experience more secure for your entire family. Not to mention that you will no longer have to avoid using public Wi-Fi thanks to Turbo VPN. Why? Because Turbo VPN encrypts all traffic traveling between their servers and yours.
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