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How To Spot A Fake LinkedIn Account

✎ Key Takes:

» You can tell if it’s a fake LinkedIn account by looking at the profile photo, such as overly modified images or an absence of a profile picture, look at these things while checking.
» On the LinkedIn profile, just check the job title and description; and if it appears too impressive, mark this as a fake profile.

How To Spot A Fake LinkedIn Account:

You can try the below methods to spot a fake LinkedIn account:

Spot A Fake LinkedIn Account

1. Check LinkedIn Profile Photo

You have to in this method to analyze the profile photo to know it’s not a fake account if he either uses celebrity photos or lacks a profile picture altogether.

How to Spot Fake:

If the profile picture is of a celebrity or has no picture at all, it’s likely a fake account. If there is a photo to make it real, you can just reverse image search using Google Lens to know if the photo has been used elsewhere.

How This Can Be Real:

If the LinkedIn user is genuine, he typically uses a real, professional photo. A genuine profile will have a clear, genuine image.

2. Headline and Job Descriptions

Here you have to look at the user’s job title and description to know if the profile is fake or real.

How to Spot Fake:

If the LinkedIn profile has a generic job title, or if the skills seem too highly qualified but have very lesser connections, it’s likely a fake account. You can also check the employment history to find something that can tell it is a fake account.

How This Can Be Real:

The real LinkedIn profiles provide detailed information about job titles and experiences, and profiles show real professional backgrounds.

3. Review the Connections

If the profile is real this will have a good quality of connections on the LinkedIn profile. Having some fake connections and profiles that look new in the connections, then maybe the profile is fake.

How to Spot Fake:

If the profile has few connections or connections with no shared connections, it may indicate a fake account. Be cautious if you receive a connection request from someone you don’t know; review their profile before accepting.

How This Can Be Real:

A real LinkedIn user will have a various network of connections, often with shared connections in common fields.

4. LinkedIn Profile Activity

You can just check the user’s activity level and engagement with other professionals on LinkedIn.

How to Spot Fake:

If the profile has very less activity, or if there are duplicate posts or comments, it’s likely a fake account.

How This Can Be Real:

You will notice that if the profile is real, it will participate in discussions, share relevant content, and engage with their professional network regularly.

5. Check Content of Interest

You can check the profile for personalized content such as detailed job descriptions and posts of the user’s interest.

How to Spot Fake:

If the profile does not have any personalized posts or only has generic or copied information, it may be a fake account.

How This Can Be Real:

The profile where the user wants to grow engagement has genuine posts and content of his interest. The LinkedIn profiles might show real experiences, detailed job descriptions, and original content that magnifies the user’s professional journey.

Does the Premium Membership Confirm it is Real LinkedIn Profile?

You should know that even fake accounts may have Premium LinkedIn memberships.

You should not blindly accept invites based on Premium memberships alone. Just verify the profile’s authenticity, as scammers may use this to appear more legitimate.
While Premium memberships are common among genuine users, it’s needed to verify with other methods mentioned to ensure authenticity.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Is it safe to add strangers on LinkedIn?

While LinkedIn is designed for professional networking, it’s needed to take caution sometimes. Always accept connection requests from individuals you have a genuine professional interest in or those who align with your interests.

2. What percentage of LinkedIn profiles are fake?

It’s not exact to specify an exact percentage, LinkedIn actively works to fight fake profiles and maintain a clean platform. The percentage of fake profiles may vary, and the platform uses security measures and algorithms to detect and remove them.

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Pranab Sen is founder and author of Techniquehow.com. He is a full-time blogger, everything that gets published is from Pranab's hand. He likes to be a 'social media geek' since 2011 to understand the problems of readers more deeply and giving the solution through his writing.

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