LinkedIn 'Confirm Email Address' Phishing Scam

Outline

Email purporting to be from business orientated social network LinkedIn claims that your LinkedIn account has been blocked due to inactivity and, to restore access, you are required to click a link to confirm your email address.

Brief Analysis

The email is not from LinkedIn. It is a phishing scam designed to trick LinkedIn users into divulging their account login details to online criminals.

Example

We write to inform you that your LinkedIn account has been blocked due to inactivity.

To ensure that your online services with LinkedIn will no longer be interrupted

You will be asked to log into your account to confirm this email address. Be sure to log in with your current primary email address.

[Link removed]

We ask you to confirm your email address before sending invitations or requesting contacts at LinkedIn. You can have several email addresses, but one will need to be confirmed at all times to use the system.

If you have more than one email address, you can choose one to be your primary email address. This is the address you will log in with, and the address to which we will deliver all email messages regarding invitations and requests, and other system mail.

Thank you for using LinkedIn!

--The LinkedIn Team
[Link removed]

Detailed Analysis

'LinkedIn' Email Claims Account Blocked

This email, which purports to be from the popular business social network LinkedIn, claims that your LinkedIn account has been blocked due to inactivity. The message instructs you to click a link to login and confirm your email address to stop your LinkedIn services from further interruptions.

Email is Not From Linked in - Phishing Scam

However, LinkedIn did not send the email and the claim that you must click a link in the message to confirm your email address is a lie.

Instead, the email is a phishing scam designed to trick you into giving your LinkedIn login details to cybercriminals. Clicking the link will take you to a fake website designed to resemble a genuine LinkedIn login page. Once you have 'logged in' on the fake site, you may be automatically redirected to the genuine LinkedIn website.

Meanwhile, criminals can collect your LinkedIn login credentials and use them to access your account. Once there, they can use the service to launch ongoing spam and scam campaigns in your name.

Be Wary of Emails That Ask You to Update Account Details

Claiming that account details require updating is a favourite scam ruse. Be wary of any message that makes such a request. If you receive such a message, do not click any links or open any attachments that it contains.

The LinkedIn website includes information about LinkedIn phishing scam attempts and how to report them.

Last updated: July 14, 2014
First published: July 14, 2014
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer

References
Phishing Scams - Anti-Phishing Information
LinkedIn- What is Phishing?

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