UPDATED: December 03, 2022

If you’re a LinkedIn user, you’ve probably received a suspicious connection request or message from someone at some point. And with all the online scams out there nowadays, it’s understandable if you’re worried.

Here, we’ll give you an action plan on what you can do to avoid LinkedIn romance scams. We’ll teach you how to keep your network scammer-free so you can protect your information online. 

We’ve looked into official LinkedIn sources and studied how it deals with scam reports and what measures it has in place to prevent such activities on its platform. We also sought tips from industry experts and reputable online safety publications. 

Plus, we read stories from actual people who experienced LinkedIn romance scams and how they dealt with and recovered from them.

Don’t miss out on crucial steps that can help you prevent or stop scams on LinkedIn. Keep reading until the end to find out the most important step you need to take when you encounter a LinkedIn romance scammer.

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    How LinkedIn romance scams work

    The LinkedIn romance scam is usually carried out by a scammer who creates a fake profile, often using a stolen or photoshopped image. The scammer will fill this profile with information that makes him or her look like a successful professional.

    Using that profile, scammers will then start connecting with people on LinkedIn. They'll send messages and friend or connection requests to people who look like they might be a good target.

    If they successfully connect with you, they’ll then start building up a relationship with you. They'll message you constantly and try to make you feel comfortable with them as they talk to you about shared interests or goals. After a while, they may even start talking to you on the phone or even in person.

    Once the scammer has built up enough trust, they'll start asking for money. They may say that they need help with an emergency situation, or that they're working on a business project and need funding. 

    They may also ask for personal information, such as your address or bank account number.

    If you give the scammer what they want, you'll likely never hear from them again. They may even block you on LinkedIn so that you can't report them. 

    If you don't give them what they want, they may become aggressive and threaten to hurt you or your family. Either way, you’lll have lost time and energy that could have been spent on something else.

    How do you spot a fake LinkedIn profile?

    Here are a few red flags that can help you spot a fake LinkedIn profile:

    1. Generic profile photos

    If someone's profile photo looks like a stock image or like they're trying too hard to look perfect, it's possible that they're not who they say they are.

    2. Vague or incomplete profile information

    A real person's LinkedIn profile should contain detailed information about their work history, education, and skills. If a profile is lacking in any of these areas, it could be fake.

    3. Errors on the profile 

    This includes things like poor grammar and misspellings. Fraudsters often create profiles quickly and don't take the time to proofread them. If you see errors on someone's profile, it's possible that they're not legitimate.

    4. Suspicious connections

    If someone has hundreds or even thousands of connections but very few mutual friends, it's possible that they've bought or manufactured those connections.

    5. Unusually high or low activity

    If someone's LinkedIn profile shows hardly any activity, it could mean that they're not using the platform very much – or that they created their profile specifically to target you. 

    On the other hand, if their activity is unusually high (e.g., they're commenting on dozens of posts per day), that could also be a sign that something isn't quite right.

    6. Making grandiose gestures

    A romance scammer may move very quickly from expressing interest to professing love without getting to know the other person first. They may also make grandiose promises or ask for money, despite never having met you in real life.

    They’ll often have a lot of excuses for being unable to meet, like claiming to be from another country or working overseas.

    What should you do when you encounter a romance scammer?

    If you think you've encountered a LinkedIn romance scammer, or you’re the victim of a scam, there are a few things you can do:

    1. Report and/or block the scammer on LinkedIn

    Reporting and blocking a scammer is the most crucial step to take as soon as you encounter a LinkedIn romance scammer.  If you can identify from the get-go that the person is a criminal, reporting them is a proactive step you can take in protecting others. 

    Blocking a scammer helps you and keeps them from targeting you, but going the extra mile to report them helps keep LinkedIn a safe professional social networking site. 

    To do this:

    1. Visit the scammer’s profile and click the three dots next to the “Message” button on their profile. 
    2. Select Report or block. From here, you’ll be given the option to report certain content on the person’s profile, to report a comment, post, or message that he or she made, or to block them completely. 
    3. Choose the reason for reporting them. LinkedIn will then take action against the profile, including removing it from the platform entirely.

    LinkedIn is proactive in maintaining a safe and professional environment on their app or website. You can visit the LinkedIn Professional Community Policies page and the LinkedIn Safety Center to see the other measures that they take to do this. 

    2. Report it to the authorities

    If you’ve already been victimized by a scammer, you can also file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The FBI IC3 collects, analyzes, and disseminates information about internet crime and provides this information to law enforcement agencies and the general public.

    If you have any information about the person who scammed you, such as an email address or phone number, you should also share this with customer service or the FBI IC3.

    Additionally, you should also contact your local law enforcement agency and let them know what happened. This creates a paper trail that may come in useful, especially if you’ve shared personal information with them that they can use to steal your identity. 

    3. Change your passwords

    One of the most important things to do if you think you've been the victim of a scam is to change your passwords and security settings on all of your accounts. This includes any online accounts, such as email or social media, as well as any financial accounts. 

    If you’ve shared any personal or financial information with the scammer, it's important to take these steps as quickly as possible to prevent them from being able to access your accounts.

    4. Contact your financial institutions 

    You should consider alerting your bank or credit card company if you think you've been a victim of fraud. They may be able to help you recover any losses and prevent further damage.

    Lastly, you should also check your credit report for any unusual activity. If you see anything suspicious, you can file a report with the Federal Trade Commission

    How to protect yourself from a LinkedIn romance scammer

    Here are a few tips that can help you protect yourself from being scammed on LinkedIn:

    1. Don't accept friend or connection requests from people you don't know

    LinkedIn is a professional networking site that can be a valuable tool for networking and keeping in touch with colleagues, employers, and potential employers. 

    However, LinkedIn also has a public profile feature that allows anyone to view your profile if they’re connected to you, even if they’re not in your network. For this reason, it’s important to be selective about who you accept as friends or connections on LinkedIn. 

    If you accept a request from someone you don't know, they’ll have access to all of the information on your public profile, including your work history, education, and contact information. This could open the door for identity theft or other scams. 

    So, while it's important to build up your network on LinkedIn, be sure only to accept requests from people you actually know and trust.

    2. Be careful about what information you share

    While it’s important to be active on LinkedIn and to share information about yourself, it’s also important to be careful about the information you share. 

    Personal information such as your address, phone number, and email should be kept private. You should also think twice before sharing anything that could be used to identify you or your family members.

    If someone asks you for personal information, such as your address or bank account number, be very careful about sharing it. Only give out this kind of information if you're sure that you can trust the person.

    3. Think twice before meeting in person

    If someone you've met online asks to meet you in person, think carefully about whether or not you want to do that. Remember that meeting up with someone you don't know can be dangerous, so it's always best to meet in a public place and take someone with you.

    4. Don’t send compromising pictures or videos

    Fraudsters may try to blackmail you by asking you to send them compromising pictures or videos. If you do send them anything, they can use it to scam other people or even try to extort money from you.

    5. Ask questions

    If someone seems too good to be true, they probably are. If you're talking to someone online and you're unsure if they're being truthful, just ask them some questions about themselves. 

    If they can't answer basic questions or avoid answering altogether, it's a good sign that they're not being truthful.

    Why is LinkedIn a favorite hunting ground for fraudsters?

    One of the main reasons that LinkedIn is such a popular target for scammers is that it's a site where people want to make business connections. This means that people are often more willing to accept friend requests and messages from people they don't know. 

    This gives the scammer a built-in pool of potential targets that they can message and connect with.

    Additionally, LinkedIn allows users to upload photos and list their personal information such as their employment history and their education. This makes it relatively easy for fraudsters to create fake profiles that look very convincing.

    Furthermore, LinkedIn is often used by recruiters to find potential candidates for jobs. This means that there are often opportunities for fraudsters to pose as recruiters to try and extract money from people who are looking for work.

    Especially when you’re looking for work, it can be easy to get over excited and fall for a scam. When scammers get your personal details and steal your identity, they can cause a lot of damage you might be repairing for years.

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    Conclusion

    LinkedIn is a great platform for networking and connecting with other professionals. However, scammers also often use this site to target people for romance scams.

    If you're careful about who you friend and what information you share, you can help protect yourself from being scammed. And if you do think you've been the victim of a scam, be sure to report it to LinkedIn and the authorities.