I don’t have time to write up a pretty summary of all of this but this is some of the articles that have been written on this topic.
Bottom line:
- NEVER ACCEPT LINKEDIN REQUESTS FROM PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW.
- DISCONNECT FROM THOSE WHO ACCEPT RANDOM LINKEDIN CONNECTIONS FROM REQUEST SPAMMERS.
WHY? IF YOU ACCEPT CONNECTIONS FROM REQUEST SPAMMERS:
- You’ve given them free access to spam you based on your attributes, profile & previous posts & interests. This is normally something restricted by InMail to prevent spammers from doing this & you just bypassed it all.
- They sell you & your connections as targets for advertising. Sometimes this is for their spamming on LinkedIn but more often its for spamming you on Facebook, Twitter & other social networks because…
- Scrapers build a dossier on your profile. They cross-reference you with other social networks & Internet signals to link you to them & by connecting, you just gave the spammers a treasure trove of details about you professionally.
- Scammers now have access to your connections & you expose them to being profiled. They also build a mesh of relationships that integrate you & your contacts so they can use you as a refernece to get to them.
- You effectively betray all your connections when you accept a LinkedIn connection invite from someone you don’t know & people will know it was you – based on the flag that says, “[Person] also is connected with [You].
Posts about unknown LinkedIn Connection:
- LIPROSPECT: The potential risks of accepting connection requests from unknown individuals on LinkedIn
https://liprospect.com/blog/the-potential-risks-of-accepting-connection-requests-from-unknown-individuals-on-linkedin/?noamp=available - NPR: Professionals beware: That new LinkedIn connection request may be part of a scam
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1123024055/professionals-beware-that-new-linkedin-connection-request-may-be-part-of-a-scam - THE MUSE: Why You Shouldn’t Add Strangers on LinkedIn (aka Here’s What Happened When I Accepted Over 300 Random LinkedIn Requests)
https://www.themuse.com/advice/heres-what-happened-when-i-accepted-over-300-random-linkedin-requests - THE LADDERS: Why you should (and shouldn’t) accept LinkedIn requests from people you don’t know
https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/why-you-should-and-shouldnt-accept-linkedin-requests-from-people-you-dont-know - TECH REPUBLIC: Don’t fall for LinkedIn phishing: How to watch for this credential-stealing attack
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/dont-fall-for-linkedin-phishing-how-to-watch-for-this-credential-stealing-attack/ - TECH TARGET: How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise
https://www.techtarget.com/searchSecurity/tip/How-to-avoid-LinkedIn-phishing-attacks-in-the-enterprise - WELIVESECURITY: Common LinkedIn scams: Beware of phishing attacks and fake job offers
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2022/05/09/common-linkedin-scams-phishing-attacks-fake-job-offers/ - TAPLIO: Remove Pending LinkedIn Connection Requests Before They Hurt Your Account
https://taplio.com/blog/remove-linkedin-connection-requests
Posted by kurtsh 
Kurt's Thoughts 