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Published July 29, 2020
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About a week ago I had a private conversation on LinkedIn. It went like this…
Robert: Hello
Me: Hello
Robert: How are you doing today?
Me: Really well, thank you (polite, of course!)
Robert: Can we be friends?
Me: Ermm, are you sure? I have a nasty streak…
Robert: I think I can help you.
Me: What, with my nasty streak?
Robert: Anything you’d like
Me: I have a long list.
Robert: Me too.
Me: Ooh, that’s worrying, we might not be good for each other!
Robert: I think so.
Me: Sorry, do you mean that IS worrying or that we won’t be good for each other?
Robert: I think so.
Me: Robert, I feel I am getting to know you now, but I am confused. Are you worried or are we good for each other?
Robert: I think so.
Me: You have me there. Would you like my email address?
Robert: I think so.
Me: Now you are not sure, eh?
After sharing my experience, on LinkedIn my good friend Neil Moon asked me if I had been conversing with a LinkedIn bot. I confirmed with him that, indeed I had – hence my grumpy face! (Although, engaging with these LinkedIn bots can be amusing at times!).
My LinkedIn Connections shared some common automated LinkedIn bot messages you should be wary of on LinkedIn:
As LinkedIn Marketing Coach, Bruce Johnston noted, bots and the people behind Fake Profiles and automation get points for brevity, but their call to action – often to obtain your email address, phone number or be accepted as a Connection to boost their numbers – leaves a lot to be desired.
LinkedIn Help was actually alerted to my post and LinkedIn bot plight and stated:
“LinkedIn is committed to provide an environment where you can engage with your professional community with confidence. We have tools to report this kind of behavior so our team can investigate & take appropriate action” [linking to this page on how to recognise, and report spam, inappropriate and abusive content.]
Ironically, I had followed the course of action suggested by LinkedIn Help a few days prior to publishing my post. The result? LinkedIn replied by saying that the conversation with ‘Robert’ did not violate their terms and conditions!
So, what action can you take against LinkedIn bot messages?
As Digital Marketer Director Ruth suggested, you could opt to not answer them. Simple.
Marketing consultant, Stefan Drew recommended disconnecting with the LinkedIn bot or fake profile. In fact, Stefan confessed he now turns down far more Connection requests now than ever before. Incidentally, I take a similar approach, turning down as many Connection requests as I accept.
Karene Ambler explained that receiving suspicious messages like these prompted her to change her LinkedIn password. Changing your password regularly and making it a secure one made up of numbers, upper-and-lower-case letters and special characters is a good cybersecurity tactic.
Kevin D. Turner also noted that some of the Profile Pictures attached to the senders of these LinkedIn bot messages are suspicious in themselves. If a person has no Profile picture or has one that is clearly a stock image they won’t make my Connections list in the first place.
Kevin revealed he now hits the 3 dots More icon in the top right of the conversation thread and Reports the conversation to LinkedIn Help. He expressed optimism that “if we all do it, will stimulate LinkedIn Help to address this platform trust eroding issue.”
And in that comment, he hit the nail on the head. LinkedIn SHOULD be about TRUST. It should be a platform we can trust to come and make and develop authentic relationships and add and share value. A safe and open space where we can enjoy thought-provoking discussions. This was one of the reasons I was, and still am, such a big supporter of the #Autoban campaign.
So, the moral of the story is don’t Connect to everyone with that muscle-memory-finger. If it looks at all strange, it probably is. Vet all your Connection requests, paying particular attention to the Connection message they send you (if they send one at all). But if you are not sure whether to accept their request, check their Profile. Look for things like if you work in the same geographical area or industry, if you have any mutual Connections or if their Connection message is a sales-based one with a template feel to it.
For more information on what to do if you encounter a scam message on LinkedIn click here.
On how I can help you turn your Linkedin profile into multiple opportunities in a few hours.
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