With over 700 million members worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professional networking and building business connections. However, not all profiles and companies on LinkedIn are legitimate. Some may be fake accounts or businesses designed to scam users. So how can you tell if a company is real on LinkedIn? Here are some tips:
Check for a LinkedIn verified badge
LinkedIn offers a blue “verified” checkmark badge for company pages that proves the business is real. The verification process requires companies to provide documentation to prove legitimacy. If a company profile doesn’t have the LinkedIn verified badge, it’s a red flag that it may be fake.
Look for multiple employees listed
Real companies need people to operate. Search the company name on LinkedIn and check if they have multiple employees listed under their LinkedIn page. Fake companies often have few real employees listed or none at all. The more genuine employees they have, the more likely the company is real.
Research the company website
Does the company have a professional looking, fully-developed website with detailed information about products/services, company history, contact info, etc.? Fake companies often have sketchy, incomplete websites or no site at all. Google the website to see if it’s functional and legitimate.
Assess connection requests carefully
If you receive a connection request from someone claiming to work for an unknown company, do some digging before accepting. Scammers often use fake profiles with dubious employment details. Verify the person’s identity and their employer before connecting.
Evaluate LinkedIn Company Page Details
A LinkedIn company page’s details can provide many clues about whether a business is real. Here are specific aspects to analyze:
Company page history
Real companies that have been around for years will likely have an established LinkedIn page with a long history of posts, employees, followers, etc. Click the “See all activity” link on the company page to see an overview of their page history. Sparse or recent activity could be a red flag.
Follower count
Authentic companies tend to have followers in the hundreds or thousands, while fake businesses often have few to no followers. A low follower count for a company that’s been active for years can be suspicious.
Employee profile links
Legitimate companies display linked employee profiles on their page. Check that multiple employee profiles are linked, detailed, and contain job history/experience consistent with that company. Fake businesses may link nonexistent or fabricated employee profiles.
Product/service details
Real companies describe what they sell/offer in detail. Lacking product/service specifics or using generic, unclear language can indicate a fake entity. Visit the company’s website to further verify legitimacy of their offerings.
Contact info
Check if the company page lists ways to contact them, such as a phone number, email, contact form, etc. Fake companies often exclude or fabricate contact information. Verify the info is correct by testing it.
| Indicator | Real Company | Fake Company |
|---|---|---|
| Verified badge | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Multiple employees | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Website | Professional, fully developed | Sketchy, incomplete, nonexistent |
| Connection requests | Profile seems legitimate | Dubious profile details |
| Page history | Long history of activity | Sparse or recent activity |
| Followers | Hundreds or thousands | Few to none |
| Employee profiles | Multiple, detailed profiles | None, fake profiles |
| Product/service details | Specific, detailed | Generic, unclear |
| Contact info | Listed, correct | Not listed, fabricated |
Spot Inconsistent or Suspicious Information
When evaluating a company’s LinkedIn presence, keep an eye out for any information that seems inconsistent, misleading, or suspicious. Watch for:
Mismatched locations
The listed location on the company page should match the locations of its employees. If they conflict, it’s dubious.
Generic profiles
Employee profiles that are bereft of specifics regarding work history, education, skills, etc. often signal fake accounts.
Too-good-to-be-true services
Some fake companies tout services/products that sound too impressive to be plausible. Exercise skepticism if offerings seem exaggerated.
Spammy posts
Low-quality, spammy posts full of links, typos, and unrelated keywords are untrustworthy signals. Authentic companies maintain professional LinkedIn pages.
Stock images
Real employees should have authentic photos on their profiles. Generic stock photos are commonly used with fake accounts. Reverse image search any suspicious pics.
Inconsistent job titles
Note if employee job titles differ substantially from what their role should be at that company based on the description. This discrepency is a red flag.
Wrong industry buzzwords
Compare the language in the company’s materials to others in their supposed industry. Inappropriate or absent jargon can suggest deception.
Typos and grammatical errors
A conspicuous number of sloppy typos on the company page or employee profiles signals lack of professionalism often tied to untrustworthy entities.
Research the Company Extensively
Don’t stop at LinkedIn when validating a company. Dig deeper by running thorough background checks:
Search the company name on Google
Conduct extensive Google searches for any mentions, reviews, news articles, etc. related to the business. Lack of search results or online presence can be suspicious.
Check other social media
Beyond LinkedIn, look up the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Do they have an active presence on multiple legitimate networks?
Look up corporate registration
Search official business registration databases in the regions the company claims to operate to verify legitimacy and operating status.
Search Better Business Bureau
Look up the company on BBB.org to find any reviews, complaints, alerts, ratings, and accreditation status indicating whether they follow good business practices.
Research leadership profiles
Vet the LinkedIn profiles and backgrounds of leaders like the CEO to assess if they seem qualified, credible, and consistent with the company’s story.
Consult with industry sources
Ask clients, vendors, colleagues, etc. in your industry if they’re familiar with the company to gauge the business’s real-world reputation.
Enlist Social Media Verification Services
If you remain unsure about an organization, leverage social media verification services like the following:
Social Catfish
This service lets you perform reverse image lookups on profile photos and research website registration info to catch fake entities.
ReviewMeta
The FakeSpot analysis tool here assesses LinkedIn follower quality to detect purchased, bot, or fake followers.
Hubspot Email Verifier
Verify the validity of email addresses listed on company pages and profiles using this free email verification tool.
LeadSift
For a fee, this service researches companies and provides in-depth background check reports on their legitimacy.
GraphProfile
It analyzes social media profiles and activity patterns to generate authenticity ratings and identify fake accounts.
Sprout Social
Use their advanced social media analytics to get data-driven assessments of a brand’s realness based on qualities like engagement, followers, etc.
Beware of Common LinkedIn Company Scams
Some specific fake company tactics on LinkedIn to watch out for include:
Job offer scams
Stances as a recruiter for a fake company offering you a job, internship, or other opportunity then asking for personal information or payments.
Multi-level marketing (MLM) pitches
MLMs masquerade as legitimate businesses to recruit you into their pyramid scheme selling dubious products or services.
Sales lead harvesting
By posing as real companies, scammers befriend targets only to collect their data and sell it to firms needing sales leads.
Spear phishing
Fraudsters use fake company pages to gather intel on employees at a target company then send them personalized emails infected with malware.
Pump and dump schemes
Scammers use fake companies, stocks, and profiles to inflate (“pump up”) the value of owned stocks to later sell (dump) at a profit.
Raising funds for fake causes
Illegitimate companies may solicit donations, investments, and fundraising for charity scams, fake medical needs, or disaster relief.
Report Suspicious Companies
If you confirm a company is fake, report it:
Flag the company page
Use LinkedIn’s reporting feature to flag the company profile as fake, spoofing brand, or other policy violation.
Report fake employee profiles
Similarly, report any fake employee profiles connected to the fraudulent company to get them removed.
Submit details to LinkedIn
Contact LinkedIn directly via their help center to provide information about scams for their security team to investigate.
File a complaint with the FTC
Submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if the fake company scammed people out of money.
Warn your network
Spread awareness about the fake entity by proactively messaging your LinkedIn connections who could be vulnerable to the scam.
Leave bad reviews
Where possible, leave authentic reviews about the company’s fraudulent actions to warn others considering using them.
Conclusion
As LinkedIn continues growing, users must get savvy about spotting fake companies aiming to exploit the platform. But by leveraging LinkedIn’s tools along with common sense evaluation tactics, you can readily sniff out and shut down scams or illegitimate businesses. Do your homework before engaging with any unknown entity to ensure it’s a verified, trustworthy organization. With extra care, LinkedIn can continue providing fruitful networking and business opportunities safely.
