How to Spot Fake LinkedIn Profiles

You received a connection invitation at LinkedIn, from someone graduated from famous school, and currently worked in big investment bank, with high position. You were not alone. Most likely you were targeted by scammers and this invitation was from a scammer.

LinkedIn is a professional network but now it was abused by some scammers who wanted to penetrate your life. Be cautious when you accept LinkedIn connection invitation.

How can we spot fake LinkedIn profiles? Here are some characteristics of faked profiles for quick check.

1. Incomplete or Impersonal Profile

Take in the account's overall impression. Unless the account is private, you should be able to see details like the user's location, education, employment, and About section. An incomplete profile is a red flag, as is one that feels unprofessional or impersonal.

Look at the user’s About information, for example. Apart from spelling or phrasing mistakes, there may be inconsistencies with the sector they’re supposed to be an expert in. It's common to find generic wording too, so keep your eyes and mind open to anything that feels off.

2. Suspicious Profile Picture

A fake LinkedIn account often uses an unusual picture and so gives itself away. Some don’t use a photo at all. While groomed professionals and quality head-shots are common sights on the platform, most users try to avoid looking like a stock photo.

You also might come across famous faces smiling back at you that don’t match the name displayed on the profile.

In either case, you can quickly check through a Google image search on your computer or smartphone.

3. Suspicious Work or Education History

Remember, someone graduated from famous universities and worked in large investment companies in top positions did not have time to chat with you everyday and always shown online in LinkedIn. Someone claimed they made $1M a year also would not have time to fool around with you as well.

Now you can check the LinkedIn profile. The more information the profile provides, the better. Filling in your employment or education history on LinkedIn is tedious, but it needs to look as interesting as possible. So an account that only shows a handful of companies and job titles without extra detail such as responsibilities is strange, to say the least.

4. Too Few or Too Many Connections

It could be that the profile is new and still building its network, but if the numbers don’t change after a while, the user might not really be trying. Or people aren’t connecting with them for a reason.

On the other end of the spectrum are fake profiles that fool a lot of people and even the premium system, but connect with everyone they can. A genuine user ends up with a network more or less related to their interests. A massive network with an unusual collection of people is a big red flag.

Besides the profile checking, you should also research more with the information provided by the LinkedIn profile. For example, google the person along with their education and work background; search the Whitepage.

Always remember, when some unusual person tries to connect with you, do not accept the invitation before you check it out thoroughly. They may not fool you finally, but they may fool people from your next tier contacts once you become their connection.