Three weeks ago, Himanshu Semwal, a video editor from Dehradun, thought he landed a promising freelance gig through LinkedIn. The job listing looked legitimate, and the recruiter’s profile seemed authentic. He was asked to complete a trial task – a short video edit – to help them ‘finalise’ a candidate. Eager to impress, Semwal submitted his work the same night, spending hours editing. But by next morning, the recruiter had vanished.
He realised he was ghosted and scammed. Someone exploited the job hunt to get free creative labour with no intent to hire. Himanshu’s story, shared on LinkedIn, reflects a growing trend – scams are rising even on platforms seen as trustworthy.
“Scammers use attractive offers to extract personal data or push users to phishing sites or adult websites,” said Arya Tyagi, cybersecurity researcher and founder of Webhack Solutions. “Some demand payment disguised as fees. Always verify recruiter profiles, cross-check company details, and never share sensitive documents like Aadhaar or PAN with unknown contacts,” he said.
In the last edition of The Safe Side, we covered the most prevalent job scams – ghost jobs, job offers on WhatsApp and Telegram – discussed spotting red flags, and suggested what to do if you are scammed. This week, we will walk you through tips for a safe job search and dos and don’ts on LinkedIn.
With over a billion users worldwide, LinkedIn, launched in 2003, sees more than 65 million people job-hunting weekly. Every minute, over 11,000 users apply for jobs, and seven are hired. With such volume, spotting a scam is increasingly difficult.
Aditi Jha, head, legal and public policy, LinkedIn India, told indianexpress.com, “LinkedIn often takes action on scams, whether they’re detected by their systems or reported by members. Reports help teams investigate patterns, enforce policies, and continue strengthening defenses across the platform.”
Here are some safe job search practices, platform no bar
📌Verify every job listing and offer: Cross-check listings on the company’s official website and contact HR through official channels.
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📌Apply via trusted sources: Use reliable portals like LinkedIn, Naukri, or government-approved job boards.
📌Watch out for unrealistic promises: Be cautious if the salary is unusually high or the role sounds too vague.
📌Seek role clarity: Legitimate job listings clearly mention responsibilities, reporting lines, and designations.
📌Understand the interview process: A genuine job will involve defined interview rounds with named interviewers.
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📌Check company reviews: Look up the organisation on platforms like Glassdoor to spot red flags from past employees.
📌Beware of too many ‘remote’ roles: Many companies now prefer hybrid or in-office setups. Mass remote offers are suspicious.
📌Never pay to get hired: Any request for payment – for training, registration, or equipment – is a scam signal.
📌Protect your personal data: Don’t share sensitive information like Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, or passwords over chat apps.
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📌Talk to someone who’s been there: Reach out to friends or connections who’ve applied to the same company.
📌Use official resources: Stick to certified recruiters, and stay updated on scam alerts shared by authorities.
📌Trust your gut and take your time: If something feels off or rushed, slow down and investigate before proceeding.
Jha also spoke about the tools LinkedIn offers to improve safety. “LinkedIn offers verification badges on job posts and for recruiters, to help members make more informed decisions about a job opportunity. In fact, more than half of the job views on LinkedIn are of verified jobs. They also offer filters for verified jobs and optional safety tools, including message warnings and scam detection, to help reduce risk across the platform,” she said.
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Tips for a safe job search on LinkedIn
Jha walked us through a few tips for a safe job search.
📌Think before sharing: Don’t provide bank details before the onboarding process.
📌Flag suspicious requests: Say ‘no’ to suspicious requests and report scams or inappropriate content.
📌Spot job scam patterns: Watch for ‘mystery shopper’, company impersonator, or personal assistant roles. Be wary of anyone asking you to send money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or to invest.
📌Secure your account: Make sure you keep your settings updated. Adding an additional phone number or email address to your account can help recover your account if you forget your password.
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Here are some LinkedIn tools to improve safety
📌Verified job postings: Look for verification badges showing the job or recruiter is linked to an official company. This includes if the poster is affiliated with an official company page, has verified their association with a particular workplace, or has verified their identity through one of our identity verification partners.
📌Message warnings: Enable LinkedIn’s optional automated detection of harmful content, which may detect potentially harmful scams.
📌Job filters: The filter allows you to search exclusively for jobs posted by companies with a verified LinkedIn Page and current job posters associated with those companies. When toggled on, only jobs with these verifications will appear in your search results, and the filter will be visible in the search header.
📌Use passkeys: Set up a passkey. Passkeys allow you to use your device unlock, for example, Touch ID on your phone or laptop, to access your account. Setting up a passkey not only helps keep your account secure, but you’ll also be able to log in more easily and faster.
📌Enable two-step verification: Prevent unauthorised logins using two-step verification. It uses more than one form of verification to access an account and can reduce unauthorized access to most accounts from new or unknown computers or devices.
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For job seekers, a little caution can go a long way, because in the rush to get hired, no one deserves to be misled, ghosted or scammed.
The Safe Side
As the world evolves, the digital landscape does too, bringing new opportunities—and new risks. Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting vulnerabilities to their advantage. In our special feature series, we delve into the latest cybercrime trends and provide practical tips to help you stay informed, secure, and vigilant online.