Hunting for a job is hard work, a kind of full-time job in itself.
It takes concentration and patience to look for one ad after another and fill in endless forms, perhaps to the point of creating emotional discomfort - and yet there is no real job offer on the horizon.
Social networking platforms like LinkedIn try to facilitate the job search and possibly help some people find a job in their dream company.
But in part because it is such an intense process, especially for the unemployed, many people may be more prone to fraud. Certainly, all social networking platforms are fertile ground for fraud.
What makes LinkedIn somewhat special, however, is the belief that it is a safe place, a business environment where we can be more relaxed, says André Lameiras of the global digital security company ESET.
Unfortunately, the reality is different, much more when combined with the phenomenon of "Great Resignation".
The online scam used by LinkedIn continues to thrive and has even taken off in recent months. Some scammers use simple, old-fashioned tricks, such as asking for your bank details or asking for money in exchange for a seemingly legitimate job interview. Others use other more sophisticated methods.
What you can do to stay safe on LinkedIn
Each of us can fall victim to fraud. Awareness of this is, in fact, the first step to staying safe from scammers, whether on LinkedIn or anywhere else.
André Lameiras from ESET suggests 10 steps we can take to avoid such a scam on LinkedIn.
1. Be careful on LinkedIn, as you would on any other social networking platform.
2. If you receive an email that appears to be from LinkedIn, but you are not sure if it is legitimate, do not click on any links. Instead, open LinkedIn directly and check your notifications.
3. Deal with connection requests from strangers. If they contact you, do not click on any links. Instead, do a Google search for the employer and how reliable this link is. Ask yourself “how did this person find me? "Why is he contacting me?"
4. Make sure the privacy settings for people outside your contacts display only the information you need. For example, you may want others to see your work experience and training, but not necessarily your phone number.
5. Use a strong and unique password or passphrase.
6. Enable two-step verification (also known as two-factor authentication). If your connection is compromised, it will be much harder for hackers to use it.
7. Never give out personal information such as ID numbers or credit cards. Prospective employers will not ask you for your bank details or login credentials to deposit your salary.
8. Keep in mind that real job offers comply with country laws and tax laws. Job offers that imply easy riches tend to be fraudulent.
9. Be wary of sudden offers of financial services or investments through links you may not be aware of. Nowadays, each of us can create a website that looks beautiful and reliable.
10. Always report a scam on LinkedIn.
The bottom line is that if something is too good to be true, it probably is (a scam).
