Rent LinkedIn Account, Earn Money: New Internet Scam Unfolds

A Bengaluru-based woman was approached to "rent" her LinkedIn account in exchange for money. Nikhita Anil, a senior brand marketing manager, questioned the motives behind such offers when someone reached out to her and asked if she was open to the idea for a specified time in exchange for monetary compensation.

In a LinkedIn post, she shared a screenshot of the message, where the person said, "Hello, as our company needs to develop the LinkedIn market, we need to rent a large number of LinkedIn accounts to expand our business network. Would you be interested in monetizing your LinkedIn account?"

Not sure what renting meant, but Nikhita asked the person for clarification. In response, the individual elaborated that his/her friend's company was looking for LinkedIn accounts to expand their market, adding they would pay her $20 per week. The sender also asked her not to change any security information or data during this period.

To rent her account, she needed to provide the account and password, and he would log in and immediately transfer $10 for goodwill. 

The sender then assured her personal contacts would remain unaffected but added that her login credentials would be required.

"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. We will update all your personal information, but we won't disturb your existing contacts. You will 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.

Nikhita's post quickly went viral, drawing widespread attention to the unusual offer.

One user also shared his own experience, saying, "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 and WhatsApp and repeatedly asked me to start work but wanted me to provide my bank details and join a 15-20 minute training. Really shady from the start. When I came back on LinkedIn, that account was restricted/removed. Thank God!"

Another wrote, "You only need to help lift the restriction..." the literal audacity of the person to say this nonchalantly as if it's just a common thing that happens every day! Sheesh!"

While the motive behind this remains unclear, the incident has ignited discussions about the potential for misuse and the importance of protecting personal information on professional platforms.