LinkedIn is a professional social media platform designed for networking and promoting careers. With over 800 million users worldwide, LinkedIn connects professionals across various industries and job functions. While most LinkedIn users are genuine professionals looking to build their networks and advance their careers, there are some risks to be aware of when connecting with new people on the platform.
What are the risks of connecting with strangers on LinkedIn?
Here are some of the potential risks of connecting with strangers on LinkedIn:
- Scammers and spammers: Some fake profiles may try to connect with you to spread spam, malware, or phishing attempts.
- Identity theft: Fraudsters may steal personal information from your profile for identity theft.
- Recruitment scams: Fake recruiters may try to lure you into fraudulent job opportunities or request sensitive information.
- Sales pitches: People may connect to pitch irrelevant services or products to you.
- Romance scams: Scammers may try to develop a relationship and eventually ask for money.
How to vet a LinkedIn connection request
To avoid connecting with fake or dubious profiles, here are some tips to vet connection requests:
- Check for a complete, detailed profile with credible work history and education.
- Look for connections in common to see if you share any authentic mutual connections.
- Be wary if they have zero connections in common with you.
- Watch for generic, vague descriptions lacking in specifics.
- Beware of suspicious looking job titles that don’t match the work history.
- Look out for typos, formatting errors, or other signs of a fake profile.
- Reverse image search their profile photo to check its authenticity.
- If needed, ask clarifying questions before connecting to verify their identity.
Warning signs of a fake LinkedIn profile
Here are some common red flags to watch out for:
- Profile photo looks too perfect, generic, or taken from stock images.
- Profile lacks detailed work history and specifics.
- Job titles and companies listed don’t align with the work experience described.
- Connections and endorsements seem disproportionate for their experience level.
- Profile seems more focused on promoting services than their professional background.
- Vanity metrics like followers and views seem inflated and inauthentic.
- Profile shows sudden endorsers you don’t recognize.
- Messaging becomes overly salesy, promotional, or suspicious.
Best practices for making LinkedIn connections
To safely grow your network on LinkedIn, keep these best practices in mind:
- Connect only with people you know and trust from real-world interactions.
- Thoughtfully customize connection requests with a note reminding them who you are.
- Ignore or decline requests from people you don’t know or with suspicious looking profiles.
- Guard your personal information carefully and don’t overshare.
- Use LinkedIn’s privacy settings to control who can view your profile and network.
- Report any harassment, scams, or fake profiles through LinkedIn’s reporting system.
- Install LinkedIn’s security extension to get alerts on suspicious profiles and posts.
Focus on quality connections over quantity
The value of LinkedIn is in the authenticity of your connections. Focus on requesting connections with professionals you have actually worked with, met in person, or have been referred to by someone you trust. Avoid blindly accepting requests simply to boost your connection numbers.
Connect with those who share common interests and goals
Look for potential connections who are in your industry, local community, alumni groups, or share professional interests and goals. Thoughtfully customize your request to explain the commonality.
Connect after in-person events and conferences
If you meet people at professional events or conferences, send them a customized connection request soon after while your interaction is still fresh. This helps transition the real-life connection to an online one.
Are most LinkedIn profiles real?
The vast majority of LinkedIn members do represent real people with authentic identities. However, there are still some fake profiles out there you need to watch out for. According to LinkedIn’s own estimates, less than 3% of profiles may be fake or fraudulent in some way. Here are signs a LinkedIn profile is likely real and genuine:
- Detailed work experience with specific roles, companies, and timelines
- Education history listing specific institutions and degree programs
- Connections, followers, endorsements, and engagement proportional to their experience level
- Thoughtful, original profile summary and work descriptions
- Personalized engagement when messaging or commenting
- Active engagement and posting over a long period of time
- Photo looks candid, natural and not taken from stock imagery
| Fake Profile Warning Signs | Genuine Profile Indicators |
|---|---|
| Generic copy-and-pasted content | Original, personalized content |
| Suspicious superlatives and embellishments | Realistic, detailed descriptions |
| Photo seems too perfect or is a known stock image | Candid, natural looking photo |
| Very few connections and engagement | Reasonable amount of connections and engagement |
| Salesy, promotional messaging | Professional, personalized messaging |
| New profile with minimal activity | Long-term profile with ongoing activity |
What percentage of LinkedIn users are fake?
While exact statistics are hard to verify, according to LinkedIn’s estimates, less than 3% of LinkedIn profiles are likely fakes or fraudulent accounts. This represents their ongoing efforts to proactively detect and remove suspicious and fake accounts from their platform. However, it’s impossible to completely eliminate fake profiles:
- Some fake accounts likely slip through detection efforts using sophisticated strategies.
- New fake accounts are constantly created to replace those taken down.
- Definitions of “fake” accounts are subject to interpretation depending on context.
- Fake account percentages likely fluctuate slightly over time.
- AI and machine learning models to flag suspicious activity patterns
- Analyzing profile information, connections, and engagement for red flags
- Requiring email and phone verification during signup
- Proactively searching for stock imagery used in profile photos
- Allowing members to report suspicious profiles for review
- Implementing security checkpoints before sending connection requests
- Carefully vetting profiles before connecting
- Watching for red flags signaling fakes
- Reporting suspicious activity when noticed
- Not oversharing personal information
- Using common sense when interacting with new connections
- Scammers, spammers, fraudsters looking to exploit connections
- People giving false impressions to seem more qualified
- Salespeople trying to pitch services, products, or opportunities
- Recruiters seeking your personal information
- Bots, fake accounts, and inauthentic activity
- They share common affiliations like alumni groups or associations
- They were referred by a mutual connection you trust
- They are local professionals in your industry and community
- You have thoroughly vetted their profile for authenticity
- You customize the request explaining your rationale for connecting
- Vet all connection requests carefully before accepting
- Be skeptical of generic invites lacking personalization
- Start communications cautiously and look for any red flags
- Don’t overshare personal or sensitive information
- Pay attention if they steer conversations into sales, promotions, or money requests
- Politely disengage if communications become suspicious or unwanted
The important takeaway is that the vast majority, over 97% according to LinkedIn, represent real people. But users should remain vigilant for persuasive fakes trying to connect or interact with them.
LinkedIn’s efforts to fight fake profiles
LinkedIn employs a number of advanced technologies and strategies to detect and eliminate fake accounts:
Best practices for members
While LinkedIn proactively fights fake profiles, members should also be prudent by:
How do I know if a LinkedIn profile is real or fake?
Here is a checklist of signs to help assess if a LinkedIn profile is likely real or fake:
| Real Profile Indicators | Fake Profile Red Flags |
|---|---|
| – Detailed work history and education | – Vague or generic work history |
| – Personalized profile content | – Copy-and-pasted, duplicated content |
| – Profile photo looks candid | – Photo seems too perfect or is a known stock image |
| – Reasonable number of connections | – Very few connections and engagement |
| – Engagement over long period of time | – New account with little or suspicious activity |
| – Connections in common | – No connections in common |
| – Responds conversationally | – Salesy, bot-like messaging |
No single red flag confirms a profile is fake – you need to look at the overall picture. If in doubt, it’s safest not to connect and to report any suspicions.
Dig deeper into their work history
A real profile should have a detailed work history with specific companies, titles, timeframes, and descriptions of responsibilities. Watch for vagueness, major gaps, frequently changing jobs, or titles that don’t fit the roles.
Reverse image search their photo
Many fake profiles use stock photos or stolen images. You can drag and drop their image into Google Image Search to see if it appears elsewhere online.
Look for endorsements and engagement
Real professionals tend to have proportionate amounts of recommendations and engagement on their posts from authenticated connections over time. Fake profiles often have engagement that seems suspiciously inflated or bot-generated.
Should you connect with people you don’t know on LinkedIn?
It’s generally wise to be cautious about connecting with strangers on LinkedIn you have no existing relationship with. While some connections may be legitimate professionals looking to network, there are also risks:
However, it may be appropriate if:
Tips for safer connecting
Some best practices include:
Focus on quality connections
The value of LinkedIn is in trusted relationships, shared interests, and professional insights with your connections. Prioritize quality connections that authentically advance your goals rather than simply amassing connection quantity.
Conclusion
Most LinkedIn users are real professionals interested in constructive networking and advancement. But users should be vigilant against sophisticated fraudsters and maintain smart practices when connecting with strangers. Look beyond profile appearances to vet connections thoroughly. Focus on nurturing a trusted network that adds true value for your career rather than racking up connection counts. Apply common sense precautions when interacting with any new connections before engaging more substantively or sharing sensitive information.