It was recently discovered that job postings on LinkedIn aren’t as secure as you might expect. Anyone with a LinkedIn profile can anonymously create a job posting for nearly any small or medium-sized organisation. And the person who created the post does not have to prove whether or not they are associated with that organisation. This means that a cybercriminal could post a job opening for a legitimate organisation and then link applicants to a malicious website.
Worse still, cybercriminals could could take advantage of LinkedIn’s “Easy Apply” option. This option allows applicants to send a resume to the email address associated with the phony LinkedIn job posting without leaving the LinkedIn platform. Because the email address is associated with the job posting and not necessarily the organisation, cybercriminals can trick you into sending your resume directly to them. Resumes typically include both personal and professional information that you do not want to share with a cybercriminal.
How to Avoid Phony LinkedIn Job Postings
Follow the tips below to stay safe from this unique threat – Fake Job Posts on LinkedIn:
- Watch out for grammatical errors, unusual language, and style inconsistencies in LinkedIn job postings. Be suspicious of job postings that look different compared to other job postings from the same organisation.
- Avoid applying for a job within the LinkedIn platform. Instead, go to the organisation’s official website to find their careers page or contact information.
- If you find a suspicious job posting on LinkedIn, report it. To report a job posting, go to the Job Details page, click the more icon, and then click Report this job.
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