New variations on LinkedIn scam (don’t click any links!)

In the past few days, I’ve received a few fake LinkedIn e-mails that differ somewhat from the ones I’ve reported on previously.  (See, for instance, my post dated December 26, 2011.) One of them says something to the effect of, “Can I post your picture on my page?” (A similar message asks for permission to post “your music.”) The other uses the eye-catching subject header, “Stop spamming me!” and the body reads, “Hello.  Please stop spamming me with links to your business!”

As with the other fake LinkedIn messages, there are (at least) two telltale signs that the messages are phony:  (1) if they were legitimate, you would receive copies in your LinkedIn mailbox; and (2) when you position the mouse pointer over the links in the messages, you can see the URLs, which clearly have nothing to do with LinkedIn (and are not what they appear to be).

If you receive a similar message, do not click any of the links.  I don’t know for sure that the links could cause harm — whether by launching or downloading malware or by taking you to a dangerous web site — but it’s quite possible.  And, given the potential for harm, it’s not worth the risk.

Thankfully, my ISP’s spam-blocking software has caught most of these bogus messages.  You might not be as lucky.

So be on the alert, and exercise caution.