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Journalism of Courage
Imagine someone sliding into your LinkedIn DMs, but neither with a job offer, nor for networking, but to know if they can “rent” your account. Sounds straight out of a handbook for scams, right?
Nikhita Anil, a senior brand marketing manager based in Bengaluru, had such an experience, one she called “wild” in a post on the platform. She wrote how she was approached with this unusual proposition, and how she was offered money in exchange for temporary access to her LinkedIn profile. Confused and amused, she decided to dig deeper. What she uncovered was unsettling.
“Most of you, all urban working corporate slaves like me must be living in rented apartments. And some of you lucky ones with generational wealth are probably renting out your apartments. But, have you ever heard of renting out your LinkedIn account?” she wrote in the post, and explained that an individual contacted her, offering to “borrow” her profile for a certain period, with a cash incentive in return. However, the exact purpose behind renting these accounts was never made clear.
“What do they actually do with your account? That’s something you’ll either find out later or maybe never,” she wrote.
Anil concluded her post wondering whether this was becoming a trend in professional circles or if it was just another creative scam making the rounds. “So, is LinkedIn renting a common practice now… Or is this the next wave of scams in the professional world?” she wrote.
Anil also shared screenshots revealing the unusual offer she received, though the sender’s name was masked. “My friend’s company needs some LinkedIn accounts to expand their market. Would you be willing to rent yours in exchange for some compensation?” was the question. Curious about the term “rent,” she can be seen asking for a clarification.
They went on to offer $20 per week for access to her account, but with a few conditions. She wouldn’t be able to change any security settings or personal information while the account was being “rented.”
To ease her concerns, the sender reassured that her contacts wouldn’t be bothered. However, they did require her login details. “You need to provide the account and password, and we will log into your account. We will pay a $10 deposit for goodwill that same night. Once rented, you cannot change the password at will,” they wrote.
They also mentioned that while they would update her profile information, they promised not to interfere with her existing network. “Only need to help lift the restriction if your LinkedIn account gets restricted; other than that, you don’t need to do anything,” the sender said.
The post quickly went viral, drawing a wave of reactions from people who filled the comments section with their opinions and concerns about the situation.
A user said, “Wow! Scams are really prevalent these days on LinkedIn. Even I went through one – a fake job posting. The “so-called HR/recruiter” contacted me on LinkedIn WhatsApp and repeatedly asked to start work but wanted me to provide my bank details and join a 15-20 mins training. Really shady from the start. When I came back on LinkedIn, that account was restricted/removed. Thank God!”
Another LinkedIn user wrote, “This one, you should have called out. I would have named them. Tagged them. Taken their phone numbers and put those up, too.”
A third user commented, “Next up: subletting my GPA and auctioning off my work experience on eBay.”
LinkedIn, in a statement given to indianexpress.com, said, “Right across the internet, scams and fraud are becoming increasingly sophisticated. As the world’s largest professional networking platform, we use technology and teams of experts to find and remove them with 99.7 per cent stopped proactively before a member reports. We encourage members to report any inappropriate comments or messages on LinkedIn, so our team can help protect them.”
