Tips for Improving Linkedin Security Awareness

🔒 Beware: #Cybercriminals Pretending to Be Young Attractive Women on LinkedIn 🔒 Hey LinkedIn community, As a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent with decades of experience, I've witnessed social engineering scams evolve, and I'm here to sound the alarm on a concerning trend. Beware of connection requests from cybercriminals who pretend to be "young attractive women" on LinkedIn! 👁️🗨️ These profiles often send messages like: "Great to connect with you on LinkedIn! Looking forward to your reply!" "Hello sir, nice to meet you on LinkedIn. Can we exchange contact info?" Requests to continue conversations on WhatsApp, often with the claim that they don't use LinkedIn much. Don't be fooled! Behind these seemingly innocent profiles can lurk #cybercriminals, using tactics like the "Pig Butchering" scam, where they build trust and then ask for money under various pretexts. 🐷 My decades of experience have taught me that the #CyberSecure mindset is your first step in staying safe and secure online. 🛡️. A cybersecure mindset is an individual's proactive and vigilant approach to safeguarding their digital presence and data, emphasizing awareness of potential threats and responsible online behavior. It involves consistently adopting security measures, staying informed about evolving cyber threats, and taking precautionary steps to protect personal and professional information in the digital realm. 👉 My Call to Action: 🕵️♀️ Stay Vigilant: Be cautious when receiving connection requests and messages from unfamiliar profiles, especially those portraying themselves as young women. Exercise caution and scrutinize profiles before accepting. 🚫 Verify and Authenticate: Always verify the authenticity of a LinkedIn profile before engaging in conversations or sharing personal information. Look for professional connections, a complete profile, and genuine professional interests. 👁️🗨️ Trust Your Instincts: Trust your gut feeling. If something feels off or suspicious about a message or connection request, err on the side of caution and refrain from engaging further. 🔒 Protect Personal Information: Avoid sharing personal or sensitive information with unknown LinkedIn contacts. Cybercriminals may use such details for fraudulent purposes. 💼 Report Suspicious Activity: If you encounter profiles engaging in deceptive practices, report them to LinkedIn. Reporting helps protect the LinkedIn community from potential scams and fraud. Let's keep our professional networks secure! 🔐 #CyberSecurity #LinkedInSafety #OnlineScams #CyberAwareness #StaySafeOnline #thinkbeforeyouclick #fourtruths #scottaugenbaum #thesecrettocybersecurity🤝

A client once asked, “Do I really need social media security training for my team?” I didn’t say yes. I told him a story. A small agency founder. Just landed a dream client through LinkedIn. He was thrilled. Then the client sent over a contract. Via Google Drive. Looked normal. Wasn’t. One click. That’s all it took. The founder lost control of his company email. Then his LinkedIn. Then access to client data. Because the attacker wasn’t the client. It was a scammer. And this isn’t rare. Checkpoint says 52% of phishing attacks started on LinkedIn in Q1 2025 Bad actors love platforms where business and personal lines blur. So what should small businesses do? ➡️ Teach your team to check their privacy settings. ➡️ Encourage them to go private on social. ➡️ Train them to say no to unknown links and downloads. ➡️ Stop oversharing. Seriously. ➡️ Block tags unless they approve them first. Social media is the new front door. Don’t leave it wide open.

A Cautionary Tale: My Daughter’s First Job Post and the Scammers Who Found It Proud mom moment: my daughter just graduated from State University of New York at Oswego with her BS in Business! 🎉 Watching her step into the professional world has been both exciting and eye-opening. As she created her “open to work” post on LinkedIn, I noticed something concerning—fake recruiter profiles engaging with her post. It immediately struck me: while I can spot these red flags easily after years in staffing and recruitment, not everyone—especially new grads—can. So, if you or someone you care about is job hunting, especially while using the #OpenToWork banner, here are a few things to watch for: ✅ Know who’s sharing your post – Are they a 1st or 2nd connection? If not, look closer. Even for 2nd connections, check who they’re connected to and why they’d be engaging. A genuine connection should message you directly. ✅ Check their profile – Do they have fewer than 500 connections? Vague experience or no company listed? These are red flags. ✅ Real recruiters provide detail – They won’t ask you to send a connection blindly. Instead, they’ll share context, company info, and a reason for reaching out. ✅ Verify the company – Search their name and organization. Reputable firms have strong LinkedIn presence and many followers—not just a handful. ✅ Report and block suspicious profiles – Click the three dots ("...") next to their name or message. Choose “Report” to alert LinkedIn, then “Block” to prevent further contact. This helps keep the platform safer for everyone. Your network is your most valuable asset. Be thoughtful. Be cautious. And trust your instincts. After decades in this industry, it’s easy to forget that what feels like second nature is actually learned insight. Let’s pay it forward by helping others spot what we’ve come to recognize—and create safer, smarter job searches for the next generation. #LinkedInTips #JobSearchAdvice #NewGrads #leadership

Be careful what you share online. Hackers are paying attention. I recently spoke with a CEO who found this out the hard way. She was frustrated by a constant stream of cyberattacks and wanted to know why she was being targeted. I took a quick look at her LinkedIn profile and spotted an immediate security gap: Her birthday was publicly listed. To most people, this seems harmless, but to a skilled threat actor, it’s a valuable piece of your online identity puzzle. I shared a scenario with her that hit home: Imagine a hacker finds your birthday online, poses as your spouse, and contacts a few people at your company to plan a "surprise” birthday party. Her coworkers, not wanting to ruin the surprise, would likely engage. After some back-and-forth, the imposter could send a link to review some additional details about the party. In doing so, they’ve unknowingly given the hacker access. Scams like this are targeted, believable, and work more often than you’d think. That conversation flipped a switch. I wasn’t trying to scare her - I was helping her see how seemingly innocent personal details can be weaponized. When even something as simple as a birthday can be used against you, the less personal data you put out into the world, the fewer tools attackers have to craft convincing exploits.