While LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform, the Brock Information Technology Services (ITS) team is advising users to be wary of a rise in fake profiles, phishing attempts and privacy threats.

Students, faculty and staff can protect themselves while building their networks and discovering career opportunities by taking a few simple steps:

Here are some ways to protect your privacy and avoid potential LinkedIn scams:

• Use a strong password: Choose a unique, complex password for every account, including LinkedIn.
• Update privacy settings: Like any other social media platform, LinkedIn has several privacy and security settings, allowing users to customize who can message them, connect with them and view their information.
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA): Using MFA on LinkedIn can significantly reduce the risk of cybercriminals gaining access to user accounts, information and devices.
• Stay alert for phishing scams: Be cautious about messages from unknown contacts claiming to be recruiters or users sending suspicious links. Look for red flags like grammar errors, vague details or suspicious profiles. When in doubt, verify information, such as job postings, through an organization’s official website.

Brock community members can also reach out to ITS with questions or forward suspicious messages to [email protected] for the IT Security team to investigate.