LinkedIn Scams Are on the Rise – Watch for These Red Flags

The United States FBI has warned that scammers on LinkedIn are a “significant threat,” CNBC reports. Sean Ragan, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the San Francisco and Sacramento field offices, told CNBC in an interview that cryptocurrency scams have been prevalent recently.

“This type of fraudulent activity is significant. There are many potential victims, and there are many past and current victims,” Ragan said. “Cybercriminals are always thinking about different ways to victimize people and companies. And they spend their time doing their homework, defining their goals and strategies, and the tools and tactics they use.”

LinkedIn stated in a blog post last week, “While our defenses catch the vast majority of abusive activity, our members can also help keep LinkedIn safe, trusted, and professional. If you encounter any content on our platform you believe could be a scam, be sure to report it so our team can take action quickly. This includes anyone asking you for personal information, including your LinkedIn account credentials, financial account information, or other sensitive personal data. We also encourage you to only connect with people you know and trust. If you’d like to keep up with someone you don’t know but that publishes content that is relevant to you, we encourage you to follow them instead.”

LinkedIn also offered the following red flags to watch for:

• “People asking you for money who you don’t know in person. This can include people asking you to send them money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to receive a loan, prize, or other winnings.”
• “Job postings that sound too good to be true or ask you to pay anything upfront. These opportunities can include mystery shopper, company impersonator, or personal assistant posts.”
• “Romantic messages or gestures, which are inappropriate on our platform, can indicate a possible fraud attempt. This can include people using fake accounts to develop personal relationships and encourage financial requests.”

Don’t get scammed by social media attacks!

Many of your users are active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. New-school security awareness training can teach your employees to follow security best practices, so they can avoid falling for social media attacks.  

This article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4.