Using social media platforms is one of the easiest ways for cybercriminals to trick people since they are so popular and have many ways to communicate with followers/connections. LinkedIn has been part of the latest scam.
Cybercriminals have been using stolen LinkedIn accounts and have been messaging that account’s contacts. The message includes a “LinkedInSecureMessage” which doesn’t really exist. Once the user clicks on the message it takes them to a fake LinkedIn website that includes a LinkedIn logo and a “View Document” button. If a user clicks on this button, it sends them to a fake LinkedIn login page and asks for their information. If the user types in their login information and submits it, it will send those credentials right to the cybercriminals.
Tips:
- Never trust a link in a message that you weren’t expecting. You can always verify with the person by calling them or texting them to see if it is real.
- Remember that cybercriminals are very creative and use more than just phishing emails to trick people. Take a second and think before you click on any link or reply to any message.
- Incorporate staying up to date about your social media platforms as one of your routines. Learn if there are any new features like a file-sharing feature. This way if you knew that there wasn’t such a thing you would be able to figure out that this is a scam right away.