How to Delete Fake LinkedIn Profiles and Scams Mitch Warren August 30, 2024

How to Delete Fake LinkedIn Profiles and Scams

Categories
  • Below we explain how to report:
  • Inaccurate information listed on a profile
  • Fake LinkedIn company pages impersonating your brand
  • Fake LinkedIn profiles impersonating a real employee or posing as an employee at your company
  • Infringements on your trademark or copyright
  • Fake LinkedIn job postings
  • Compromised LinkedIn accounts

How to report fake LinkedIn job listings for removal

You can report a fake LinkedIn job listing. Just use the “report this job” option in the menu. This menu appears when you click the icon.

  1. Click on a job listing to go to the Job Details page
  2. Click the More icon and select Report this job
  3. In the Why are you reporting this? pop-up window, select I think it’s spam or a scam.
  4. Select one of the following two options:

    • I think it’s a scam, phishing or malware (e.g., someone asking for personal information or money, or posts suspicious requirements)
    • I think it’s promotional or spam (e.g., someone advertises a product for monetary gain, or posts irrelevant content for high visibility)

  5. Click Submit
Screen shot of "Report this job" on Linked In
Screen shot of location of "Report this job" button on LinkedIn job listing.

Reporting Inaccurate Information

Our expert takedown team says that reporting false information is a good way to handle scams and fake LinkedIn profiles. For example, if a scammer pretends to be an employee of your organization, report this as false information. This is the best way to remove it from the profile.

It’s a good idea to use all the abuse reporting methods you have. Often, it’s best to start with an inaccurate information report. After that, you can report the fake company page, profile, job listing, or other issues.

To report inaccurate information you will need to file a formal complaint and provide the following information:

  1. A link to the inaccurate profile or post
  2. The name of the school, university, or company that is inaccurate on the reported profile
  3. Explanation of why the account or other information is inaccurate or false
  4. Your digital signature (which simply consists of you typing your full name in the form field)
A screenshot of LinkedIn's form for reporting inaccurate employment or education information or another person's profile.

How to report a fake LinkedIn company page for removal/takedown

If a fake company page has been created that impersonates your brand, take the following steps to report it:

  1. Navigate to the profile in question.
  2. Click the More button below the profile picture and select Report abuse from the list.
  3. Select Suspicious, spam or fake in the Why are you reporting the profile information in this profile? pop-up window.
  4. Select your reason for reporting in the How is this suspicious, spam or fake? pop-up window
How to Report Fake LinkedIn Company Page

Reporting fake LinkedIn profiles using the mobile app

If a fake company page has been created that impersonates your brand, take the following steps to report it:

    1. Tap the … icon on the member’s profile, next to the Message button
    2. Tap Report or Block
    3. Select Report Profile
    4. Select Fake Account or Impersonation under Select a reason that applies in the Report This profile menu
    5. Click Submit Report
Reporting fake profiles using the mobile app

Reporting trademark or copyright infringement on LinkedIn for takedown

Our expert takedown team tells us reporting trademark or copyright infringement is rarely the best path for reporting content for takedown. Response time is slow on LinkedIn. They warn, “Due to high support volume, it may take longer than usual to hear back from our Support Agents.” Again, the recommendation is to start your response with an inaccurate information report.

Reporting trademark infringement

Fill out the Trademark Infringement form, but before you do so make sure you have the following information at hand:

  1. Evidence of that your trademark has been infringed (in the form of a screenshot)
  2. Evidence that you or someone you are representing is the owner of said trademark
  3. The trademark’s registration country and holder company name

Reporting Copyright infringement

Fill out the Copyright Infringement form, but be sure to first have the following information available:

  1. The copyright owner’s name and region of residence
  2. A detailed description of the copyrighted work
  3. A link to the infringing content, as well as a description of the nature of the infringement

Fill out the Trademark Infringement form, but before you do so make sure you have the following information at hand:

  • Evidence of that your trademark has been infringed (in the form of a screenshot)
  • Evidence that you or someone you are representing is the owner of said trademark
  • The trademark’s registration country and holder company name

Fill out the Copyright Infringement form, but be sure to first have the following information available:

  • The copyright owner’s name and region of residence
  • A detailed description of the copyrighted work
  • A link to the infringing content, as well as a description of the nature of the infringement

Reporting compromised accounts

Bad actors can misuse a hacked LinkedIn account. They may post false information or fake job listings. This can lead to scams and damage a brand’s reputation.

You can only report LinkedIn accounts that you connect with as compromised. For more information about additional follow-up actions you should take on a compromised account, check LinkedIn’s recommendations.

To report a compromised LinkedIn account:

  1. Navigate to the profile of the member in question and click the More button below the member’s profile picture
  2. Select Report/block from the list
  3. Select Report profile in the pop-up window.
  4. Select Hacked Account in the pop-up window.
  5. Select Submit Report in the Report this Profile pop-up window.

3 key takeaways regarding takedowns of brand impersonations on LinkedIn

  • Always begin your response by reporting a fake LinkedIn profile, job listing, etc. that impersonates your brand as inaccurate information
  • After that, report “early and often” using other relevant reporting mechanisms to report the offending content and continue following up on your reports
  • Consider contracting out your brand protection efforts to a vendor such as Allure Security with an expert, in-house takedown team to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your takedown requests.

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