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Scam emails hit LinkedIn users

webfeatures
Mar 26, 2015
2 min read

By Jerwel Hipolito, Staff Reporter

DUBAI - A new scam attempt is targeting users of LinkedIn, members of the networking website have complained.

Speaking to Pilipinas Today on Friday, Maricel D (real name withheld) said she received a scam message through email from an individual after she approved that person’s invitation to add her to her network.

“The message claimed to have been sent by a bank director and was asking me if I could help in moving a large sum of money left by their dead client,” Maricel said.

“I used to get a lot of these on my email, so I marked them as spam. Now, criminals are latching on to social networks too because they have access to my email info there,” she said. She sent a screen shot of the email she received.

Over the years, global anti-corruption agencies have launched efforts to crackdown on fraudulent e-mailers and arrested those behind high-profile cyber crime syndicates. The most prolific scams have been known as Nigerian email scams in which scammers pretend to be princes or wealthy people.

The emails are actually from criminals trying to steal the victim’s money or identity. According to State Department reports, people who have responded to these emails have been beaten, subjected to threats and extortion, and in some cases, murdered.

To avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud, here are some tips by the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files; the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Scan the attachments for viruses if possible.
Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.
Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they match and will lead you to a legitimate site.
Log on directly to the official website for the business identified in the e-mail instead of “linking” to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify that the e-mail is genuine.
If you are requested to act quickly or there is an emergency that requires your attention, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly.
Remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.