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Scam of the week - The 'LinkedIn' scam
We've been alerted by our readers to a scam whereby criminals have been able to hack into people's personal details through their LinkedIn account.
An email is sent out titled "LinkedIn invitation from your co-worker" and asks the recipient to visit their LinkedIn account where there are new messages.
But this is a fake email and despite having the official company logo on it, it will actually take you to a fake site and ask you for personal details. As soon as you enter these you are giving them to a cyber thief and giving them with the power to hack into your online accounts.
Although scam artists mimic legitimate emails, there are often mistakes such as typos or information included that doesn't relate to you. If you're unsure as to whether an email is genuine, open a web browser in a new window and go to the official website before taking any further action.
[Related feature: Old-fashioned scams make a comeback]
Phishing
LinkedIn says it will never ask you to open an email attachment or install a software update. Any suspect emails can be forwarded to safety@linkedin.com to be investigated and should then be deleted.
A spokesperson from LinkedIn says: "We take spam and phishing attacks very seriously and have several approaches to combating this issue. We report major phishing attacks and malicious actors to law enforcement and also pursue malicious URLs that are used in these phishing campaigns."
James Jones, spokesperson for Experian, adds: "Phishing scams like this one can be very successful. Emails are sent to a mass audience and a significant number of unsuspecting victims will fall for them.
"According to the latest figures, more than one in 500 emails now fall into the phishing category. The trick for all of us is to simply avoid clicking on links in emails at all."
If you think you've been scammed get in touch by leaving a comment below, or email us on scamwatch@moneywise.co.uk and let us know exactly what has happened.
