How to Spot a Fake LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for finding new contacts, working with recruitment agencies and making connections. But you must ensure that the person you're connecting with on LinkedIn is who they say they are. If not, then there's a good chance that everything you've been told about them will be fake! So how do you know if someone has lied about their identity? We'll walk through some basic steps that will help you tell if someone has their profile or not:
Check the photo.
● The first thing you should do is check the photo. This seems obvious, but most people don't take the time to do it.
● If the photo is too old or out of date, then there's a high chance that it's fake—and if you're not sure how long ago someone took their profile picture, consider this: LinkedIn uses a chronological order of updates on its profiles. So if they were last updated in December 2016, and they're still using that same image today (or even worse—it hasn't been changed at all), your suspicions are likely justified!
● Also, keep an eye out for stock photos: these can be used by anyone who wants an attractive background image without spending any money or effort making one themselves! But beware: some may try taking advantage of your trust by posing as someone else entirely; others might have been Photoshopped into existence after being taken somewhere else altogether. It's easy enough for anyone with access.
Headline
When you visit a LinkedIn profile, the first thing people see is the headline. It's essential to make sure that it's clear and concise so that when someone reads your headline, they know exactly what you are doing.
Instead, make sure there are no typos or spelling mistakes in your headline; if there are any mistakes or typos in the English language version of their profiles (e.g., "I am an expert in _____"), then these details may give away that they're not who they say they are!
Resume keywords
Resume keywords are the words that describe your experience, skills, and education. They're used to help people find you when they search for a job. You may miss out on opportunities if you don't use keywords in your LinkedIn profile.
It would help if you were consistent with your resume when choosing keywords and what you want to say about yourself in LinkedIn.
See who you have in common.
The first thing to look for is a professional connection. Do you have any mutual connections with the person? If so, check their profile photo and summary to see if they match yours. If not, ask yourself why they would want to make up a fake LinkedIn profile to be friends with someone else on there.
The second thing you should do is check out how long it's been since their last update or job change; in this case, it could mean either one of those things occurred recently—or perhaps both!
Pay attention to dates and loc.
It's easy to spot a fake LinkedIn profile. The most obvious sign is the lack of dates and locations on the profile:
● Use the first letter of their name to search for them on LinkedIn. If you can't find any results, it's probably fake.
● Check the location feature by going to their page, clicking "Edit Profile," then scrolling down until you see where they say they live (or where they say they work). If there's nothing written in this area—and if none of your friends have posted pictures from that place—then find another account and compare notes with them about your new friend who seems so familiar but isn't actually real!
● Pay attention to dates and locations when looking at work experience or education records too: if someone claims that he/she has been employed by XYZ Company since 2014 but doesn't mention any specific years during his tenure there in those records then chances are good that this person might not be who he claims himself as being either!
Conclusion
The best way to spot a fake LinkedIn profile is by looking at the photos and headings of your potential contact and seeing whether it matches up with other people in your network. You can also use keywords to see if they fit your job description, which will help you decide whether or not they're legit. If they don't fit this criterion, then don't accept the request!