Surprise Employee Arrival: My Journey Through LinkedIn Identity Fraud

As we traverse the digital landscape of our professional lives, we must remain ever-vigilant. In the vast jungle that is LinkedIn, a new predatory tactic has emerged. Scammers, armed with meticulously crafted fake profiles, are infiltrating company pages by posing as new employees.

These scammers use a variety of lures: tantalizing job offers, ‘unbeatable’ investment opportunities, and the more subtle approach of simply sneaking onto a company’s LinkedIn page under the guise of a new employee. And they’re not casting their nets blindly. These fraudsters target individuals and companies alike, baiting their traps with strategic precision.

For a deeper understanding of this escalating issue, I recommend this insightful video:

While the video provides a broader overview, I cannot stress enough the importance of remaining alert to the subtler forms of this fraud. Yes, those ‘too good to be true’ offers are easy to spot. But what about that new employee who just appeared on your company page? This less conspicuous form of identity fraud is an under-recognized issue that can have severe impacts on your company’s reputation and trust.

To illustrate this issue, let me share a recent personal encounter with this phenomenon…

The other day, as I was browsing through my company’s LinkedIn page, I noticed something odd — a new member on our team. Now, you might be thinking, ‘That’s great! Expansion is always good.’ Well, in this case, not so much.

This new ‘team member’ wasn’t someone I had interviewed or hired. I hadn’t even heard of them before. Yet, there they were, boldly listed as a new employee of my company. The audacity, right?

Initially, I thought it was a mistake, but a quick investigation into their profile revealed inconsistencies and red flags. From questionable connections to a hastily put together profile, it was clear that my company’s LinkedIn page had become the newest hunting ground for an identity fraudster.

Now, you might think this is a minor issue. Just report it to LinkedIn and move on, right? Well, it turns out, things aren’t quite so simple. Navigating the labyrinth of LinkedIn’s support was a saga of its own. But that’s a story for another time.

If you’re thinking, ‘This is all fine and dandy, but how do I actually deal with it if I encounter this online doppelgänger on my company’s page?’ Fear not, fellow digital explorers, I’ve got you covered.

There’s a treasure trove of a tool that LinkedIn provides, albeit a bit hidden. It’s called the ‘Notice of inaccurate profile information’. You can access it through this handy link from the LinkedIn Helpdesk. Arm yourself with the URL of the rogue profile (you can find it in the ‘contact and personal info’ section), state that you’ve tried reaching out to the imposter (if applicable), and kindly request some action.

Now, don’t expect this to be a magic wand. I don’t have a crystal ball to predict when the helpdesk heroes will respond. And I sincerely hope I haven’t flooded them with extra work by unveiling this in this blog post. But, let’s face it, we’re all striving for accuracy and honesty on this platform.

So, brace yourself for a bit of a wait, and remember — patience is the weapon that forces deception to reveal itself. And while you’re waiting, keep exploring, keep questioning, and stay safe in this vast digital wilderness.

The key takeaway here is to always stay alert. Whether it’s a job offer that seems too good to be true or a new employee you don’t remember hiring, we need to approach the online professional realm with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Because, at the end of the day, the digital landscape is a wild one, full of surprising challenges. And the only way to stay ahead is to stay informed, stay cautious, and always keep an eye out for those ‘surprise employees.’