How do I contact LinkedIn about a compromised account?

Having your LinkedIn account compromised can be a frustrating and worrying experience. Your account contains sensitive personal and professional information that you don’t want falling into the wrong hands. Fortunately, LinkedIn provides ways to contact them about compromised accounts and helps users regain control.

Detecting a Compromised LinkedIn Account

The first step is identifying that your account has actually been compromised. Here are some signs to watch out for:

• You can’t log in to your account with your usual password.
• The email associated with your account has changed without your doing so.
• Your profile information like photo, work history, education etc. has been altered without your knowledge.
• You notice posts or messages sent from your account that you didn’t write.
• Your connections have received spam messages appearing to come from you.
• You stop receiving notifications about LinkedIn activity as normal.

If you notice any of these issues, it’s likely your account security has been breached somehow. Time to take action to regain control.

Reporting a Compromised Account

LinkedIn makes it easy to report compromised accounts and request help:

1. Go to the LinkedIn Help Center and search for “compromised account.”
2. Follow the instructions to complete the form titled “My account has been compromised.”
3. In the form, explain what happened and what led you to believe your account is compromised.
4. Check the box to confirm you are the account owner and want to report unauthorized access.
5. Click “Submit” to send your report to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn recommends providing as many precise details as possible when reporting the issue. This helps them investigate and restore your account faster.

Locking Down Your LinkedIn Account

While waiting for LinkedIn to investigate, you can take steps to secure your account:

• Reset your password – Change your password to lock out anyone else accessing your account.
• Turn on two-factor authentication – Enable extra login security requiring access to your phone or email.
• Remove unauthorized apps – Check approved apps in your account settings and remove anything unfamiliar allowing account access.
• Scan for viruses – Run antivirus software to check your devices for any malware allowing account hijacking.

Taking these measures immediately can prevent further misuse of your compromised account.

Recovering Your Account

After submitting a compromised account report, LinkedIn will work to investigate and restore your access. Here is how the process typically plays out:

1. LinkedIn will send an email confirming they received your report and are looking into it.
2. Their security team will verify unauthorized access and halt any ongoing misuse.
3. They’ll conduct a full review to identify how your account was compromised and reverse any issues.
4. Once your account is restored, you’ll receive an email from LinkedIn to regain access.
5. Log in to ensure everything looks normal then reset your password again just in case.

With LinkedIn’s help, you can usually recover a compromised account within 1-2 business days. They aim to make it as quick and smooth as possible.

Preventing Future Compromises

Once you regain access after a compromise, it’s important to take steps to prevent it happening again. Here are some best practices:

• Set a strong, unique password only used for LinkedIn.
• Enable two-factor authentication for enhanced security.
• Be wary of phishing emails attempting to steal your login credentials.
• Install antivirus software and keep it updated.
• Be selective about granting account access to third-party apps.
• Monitor your account activity and report any suspicious behavior.

Staying vigilant can help keep hackers out for good. But if your account is ever compromised again, you know how to contact LinkedIn for help.

Contacting LinkedIn Customer Service

If you need additional assistance recovering your compromised account, you can contact LinkedIn customer service:

A customer support representative can assist with any other questions or issues related to your compromised account not fully addressed through automated reporting.

Conclusion

Having your LinkedIn account hacked can be stressful, but the company provides ways to get it back under your control quickly. By reporting unauthorized access, enabling security protections, and resetting your password, you can work with LinkedIn to regain access and undo any damage. Paying extra attention to account security going forward can help prevent you from being targeted again. With some caution and LinkedIn’s support, you can resolve an account compromise situation effectively.