I love LinkedIn. I hate scammers. I hate fake LinkedIn profiles 🤬
Are you with me?
Is it just me or there always seems to be a scammer trying to scam me.
Whether it be cold call scammers, email scams, text message scams. Scammers seem to be everywhere - always at us.
And the scam profile activity on LinkedIn seems to be escalating.
I received a messaged yesterday from "Kendra Jones" - supposedly the CEO of Kelly - a global recruitment powerhouse.
On face value, impressive - a CEO is reaching out to me. "Kendra" is also attached to the Kelly LinkedIn account.
However, when you dig a little deeper, the fake profile becomes clear. Red flags are everywhere.
The Profile Photo: Looks like a stock photo, AI generated and / or doesn't match the location.
Strange Locations: Watch for vague or unusual locations like United States Minor Outlying Islands, American Samoa and Nigeria...plus others.
Low Connections, Followers and Activity: Legit professionals usually have followers and some activity.
Inconsistency: If a “CEO” is constantly sending generic job offers, it’s suspicious.
Poorly Written Content: Scammers use buzzwords but often lack real coherence.
Interestingly, when I did my research, I realised that "Kendra Jones" is not the CEO of Kelly...Peter Quigley is!
Have you come across profiles like this?
These fake profiles are targeting:
- Frustrated job seekers
- Struggling IT SMEs
- Professionals eager to connect
For job seekers and businesses, these profiles can look like a breakthrough opportunity. But in reality? They’re nothing but trouble and wasted time.
Here’s what fake profiles can cost you:
- Data Harvesting: Scammers gather personal info to use in phishing or identity theft schemes.
- Financial Scams: Asking for “expedited placement fees” or fake services designed to take your money.
- Reputation Damage: Connections may notice suspicious accounts on your profile, harming your image.
- Wasted Time: These profiles lead you away from real opportunities, making your search harder.
- Cybersecurity Risks: Links in these profiles can lead to malicious sites or phishing attempts.
Despite LinkedIn’s efforts to remove them, fake profiles keep popping up.
Be careful and vigilant!
♻️ Please repost to help spread awareness. Together, we can make LinkedIn a safer and more trustworthy place for everyone.
Let’s stop these scams!
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